Rufus's Seventh Heaven
by generalquistis
Summary: Rufus buys all the establishments which he thinks could add up for the benefit of ShinRa...then he stumbles upon Tifa's 7th Heaven...
1. One

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. -.-' Blah blah blah blah blah. You all know the rest.

Author's Note: DO NOT BADMOUTH THIS FIC; DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW BAD IT IS! You'll just be wasting your time doing so… Let's just respect each other, okay?!?!? #o#'

Oh yeah… the setting is Neo-ShinRa. Rufus is alive… ShinRa is back… what happens now? Sore wa himitsu desu… ;-)

And yeah, don't let it surprise you, but Aerith is alive here. Why? Coz I want her to be alive… Just think of this fic as an alternate universe-setting type… you get the idea…

------------------------------------------------------------------- 

            "Gyah… this is so stressful. He's forcing us to work up to the wee hours of dawn and then he'll call for an emergency meeting at around 6 in the morning in the conference room! GYAH! I can't take this anymore… he's really worse than his father!" Heidegger complained impatiently.

Reeve was just silent as he stared at his watch.

Scarlet was already beginning to fall asleep.

Reeve turned to Heidegger. "Where is he? It's already past 6 am." He said.

"Gyah… maybe he overslept _for the first time_! That's good! Maybe we'll get our own rests as well! Gyahahahahahahaha!" Heidegger cheered.

"I did not oversleep, you overgrown doughnut." Rufus snapped from the doorway as he got inside the Conference room. 

The three froze.

Rufus did not even sit down; he just stood there by his chair and placed a heap of papers on top of the table. "New marketing plans that I made. Don't ask why I was the one who made them… you know the reason," he said with an angry glare.

"Kyah… President Rufus, maybe you could just turn one of us into your marketing manager! You're giving yourself a hard time by making those…" Scarlet said with a sheepish look on her face.

"Scarlet is right, President Rufus. Ever since you came back, you have been overworking yourself!" Reeve said.

"Gyah… but it brought about good results for our company. President Rufus was able to buy too many companies… now we don't only provide Electricity, but we also provide food through restaurants and fast food chains, software programs for PCs, even the water company and the railroad system! You name it we got it!" Heidegger argued.

"Still it feels incomplete." Rufus muttered glumly, avoiding their gazes.

"Huh?" Heidegger asked.

Rufus walked over to the window, shoving his hands inside his trouser pockets. "There are still some establishments that we haven't bought yet…" he said.

"But sir, aren't you happy with these big businesses that you already own? I mean, you even own the biggest pharmaceutical company now!" Reeve said.

Rufus shook his head. "Tell you what, if you can name an _unclaimed_ organization or business or company, you will get a salary raise." He said with a challenging tone, though his face remained serious.

The three executives fell silent.

"The coffee shop downtown?" Scarlet asked.

"Had it 7 weeks ago," Rufus replied as he flipped his hair.

Silence.

"The daycare center?" Heidegger asked.

"Bought it yesterday." Rufus said.

"The company that makes fake cockroaches?" Reeve asked.

All eyes turned to him, even Rufus.

Reeve smiled sheepishly.

Rufus raised an eyebrow at him, "What can those cockroaches do for my company? Besides, I hate those things…" he snapped impatiently before looking away. "I need a company that is very profitable and also _useful._" He told them.

"Useful in what sense?" Heidegger asked.

"In the sense that its business is still running despite the recession and the real owner and I could benefit from its profit… and who knows, I could even ask some of you to run it or help run it." Rufus replied.

Silence.

Scarlet twitched slightly as she clenched her fists.

Rufus, upon noticing Scarlet's cringing, turned to her with a curious look on his face. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Scarlet bit her lower lip before she looked away and said through gritted teeth, "The 7th Heaven Bar in Sector 7… Reno mentioned something about it."

Rufus raised his eyebrows. "7th Heaven? That's the name of the establishment?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied glumly.

He smiled slightly. "Has a nice ring to it…" he thought silently before approaching Scarlet. "Let's go there, shall we?" he asked.

"GYAH! President Rufus, that's in Sector 7!" Heidegger protested as he grabbed Rufus's right wrist.

"And so?" Rufus snapped.

"It's the slums!" Heidegger replied frantically.

Rufus pulled his wrist away from Heidegger. "I will do whatever I please. This is for the benefit of my company." He said. He looked away. "Besides, don't you remember that I have fixed Sector 7? Never refer to it as _the slums_ because it looks perfectly well now. Just ask Reeve because he's the Head of Urban Development. He helped me plan the new look for Sector 7." He continued before walking out of the conference room.

Heidegger rolled his eyes.

Reeve patted Heidegger's shoulder with a sarcastic smile on his face, "Next time, you'd better watch your mouth, gyah?" he asked mockingly before running after Rufus.

Scarlet rolled her eyes before going after Reeve, completely ignoring Heidegger.

*** 

            Rufus looked at his watch and turned to Reno. "Thank you very much, now we're lost." He told him.

Reno smiled sheepishly before Scarlet slapped his back. "Kyah! Don't tell me that the last time you went here, you were drunk so you can't remember the exact directions, huh?!" she snapped.

"It's hopeless. He's always drunk." Elena muttered glumly.

Rufus clenched his fists. "We have to ask for directions," he decided.

"Sir, we're running low on the gas," Rude spoke up suddenly from the driver's seat on the front.

"Switch off that engine first." Rufus commanded before he stepped out of the car, surprising the citizens in the area.

"Kyah! President Rufus, you shouldn't be coming out like that! What if there's an assassin?!" Scarlet screeched as she pulled Rufus inside the limousine again.

"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm not a wimp, I can defend myself!" Rufus snapped impatiently as he pushed Scarlet away and stepped out of the limo, looking around the place with a harassed look on his face. "Let's see… it's 12:00 noon and almost everyone must be in their homes having their lunch… whom shall I ask…" he thought silently. He stopped when he saw a little girl with short reddish brown hair walking on the sidewalk. She was carrying a small backpack on her back and a bunch of books for elementary students. Rufus didn't know why he had the urge to ask the little girl, though deep inside, he was thinking, "That's ridiculous… little girls are still unaware of their surroundings…" but his conscience would reply, "If that girl is unaware, how come she is walking all by herself?"

Rufus shrugged. "Oh what the hell," he thought as he ran after the girl. "Hey," he called out.

The little girl stopped walking and turned to him, looking up at him curiously. "Oh, hello, mister!" she greeted happily.

"Funny how this girl is talking to me though I'm sure it's a rule that girls should never talk to strangers… oh well…" he thought silently before he spoke up, "Hi, I seem to be lost… I'm looking for a certain place here in Sector 7. Do you know where 7th Heaven is?"

The little girl smiled happily and nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah! Of course I know it, Mister! Why?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows as he smiled gently at her, surprising the Turks and Scarlet since they never really saw him smile like that.

"I would like to speak to the owner." Rufus replied. "Gee… I think she doesn't know how the president looks like…" he thought silently with an inner smile.

The little girl jumped up and down. "Heeheehee! I know the owner. She's like my older sister and she's also a friend of my daddy. Do you want me to take you to her? I'm sure she would love to speak to you!" she said excitedly.

Rufus reached over to get her books. "Alright then, I'll carry these for you and you show me the way." he said gently.

The little girl nodded happily. "By the way, my name is Marlene. What about you?" she asked.

"Rufus. You look like an intelligent girl. What grade are you in right now?" he asked. He had to admit, the little girl was just charming and he instantly liked her. He imagined himself if he had a younger sister or his very own daughter. "Maybe in the future I can have my own daughter… if I find the right girl for me… and I swear, I'll never be like old man…" he thought silently as the little girl took his hand and led the way. 

"I'm in the first grade. I just came from school. It's a half-day. 3rd graders and the older kids spend the whole day in school." She explained.

"I see." Rufus said before turning his gaze to the Turks and Scarlet from far behind him, signaling them with his eyes to follow.

With that, he turned back to Marlene and smiled sheepishly. "Are you sure it's okay if I come with you? I mean, I know that children are not supposed to talk to strangers…" he said.

"I think you are a good stranger." She said.

"What made you say that?" he asked with a curious look on his face.

"You're wearing white," she replied.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Heehee! Tifa told me that villains usually dress in black. You're dressed in white. You must be good. I trust that. Heehee!" she said happily.

Rufus frowned slightly. "Tifa?" he asked. The name sent some shivers down his spine, though he really didn't know why.

"She's the one I've been telling you about, Rufus. She's the owner of 7th Heaven. She's a very beautiful girl. When I grow up, I want to be like her!" she said.

Rufus smiled gently. "Well, you are a pretty little girl. I'm sure that when you grow up, you will also be beautiful just like Tifa," he said reassuringly.

They finally arrived at this not-so big shack and it made Rufus stop and think for a while if he would like to go on with it. "Well… I could improve this place…" he thought silently.

Marlene looked up at him. "This place usually opens up at nighttime… around 6:00 pm. Before, we used to live here too, but now that Mister Cloud bought a bigger house, we don't live here anymore. But sometimes, Tifa drops in here to clean up the place. C'mon, let's just go to the house and maybe you could also have lunch with us!" she said cheerfully before dragging Rufus to the opposite direction.

Rufus was already frowning. "Cloud?" he asked out loud.

"Yes. Mister Cloud Strife," she replied.

"I knew it…" Rufus thought silently, his frown deepening as he flipped his hair.

"He owns the house. He lives there with Miss Aerith, but they also let me and daddy stay there. Miss Tifa, Mister Vincent and Miss Yuffie also live there. We even have a big red pet named Red XIII… Heehee!" she said happily.

Rufus nodded. "I see…" he said blankly. He suddenly felt so nervous. "AVALANCHE…" he thought silently. He turned his head to the side to see even through his peripheral vision if the Turks are still following him. Rude, Reno and Elena were following somewhat far behind him, acting casual. Rufus tried to stop himself from snickering when he realized that Reno and Elena were pretending to be lovers, while Rude pretended to be reading the newspaper in his hands.

The house was located a few blocks away from 7th Heaven. Marlene stopped by the door and reached up for the doorknob to open it. She pushed the door open. "I'm home!" she announced happily.

Rufus could smell the aroma of something grilled. "Grilled squid," he realized silently as he and Marlene stepped inside. He was gazing around the place as Marlene shut the door.

"Is that you, Marlene?" a feminine voice from the kitchen called out.

"Yes, Miss Tifa!" she replied.

Rufus stiffened.

"The boys aren't here. It's only us girls plus Vincent. Can you go upstairs and call them?  Aerith, Yuffie and I are busy here." Tifa called out again.

"Okay," Marlene said happily as she let go of Rufus. "Wait here for a while, Mister Rufus. Or maybe you could just go to Tifa and introduce yourself. Don't worry, she is a very nice girl! I'll just call Mister Vincent!" she said before rushing up the stairs.

Rufus did not move from where he is. 

"Who're you talking to, Marlene?" Aerith's voice called out from the kitchen.

"I swear, that kid's got an imaginary friend, but I never realized that she named it Rufus," he heard Yuffie remark.

"Okay, should I go there or just wait for Marlene?" Rufus thought silently with a deep frown on his face.

He heard someone going down the stairs so he turned his gaze to that person.

Vincent stopped in his tracks as he stared in awe at Rufus. "Rufus ShinRa?" he asked in disbelief.

"Marlene, who are you talking…" Tifa stopped in her tracks upon seeing the tall blonde guy with icy blue eyes.

Rufus did not smile, he just stared at her. "You must be Tifa," he said coolly, though he could really feel his heart pounding hard against his chest.

Tifa was silent for a while. "I… yes…" she stammered uneasily.

He smiled slyly at her as he flipped his hair before he decided to come closer to her. Tifa's eyes widened in awe, not really knowing what was happening… "Why is he here? Hey, he looks different… he's actually smiling… and he looks cute…" she mentally kicked herself for thinking like that.

He reached out his hand to her, offering a friendly handshake. "I don't know if you still remember me but I still insist on shaking hands with you. My name is Rufus." He said.

He only said his first name. It made Tifa relax a little because of the friendly effort from Rufus. She smiled shyly as she felt her face getting hotter. She shook hands with him. "Yes, I do remember you. My name is Tifa," she said, not really knowing whether to hate this guy or not.

He let go of her and shoved his hands inside his trouser pockets. "Very well, nice to finally get acquainted with you, Tifa," he said stiffly.

Vincent and Tifa exchanged confused glances. The latter was about to introduce Vincent, since she doesn't really know what else to say, but she was interrupted when she heard a shrill "OH MY GAWD!!!!!" coming from the doorway of the kitchen.

The three jumped up in surprise before turning to Yuffie. 

"Goodness, don't scream like that!" Tifa snapped in shame as she clutched her upper left chest, feeling her heart thumping against her chest.

Rufus tried to keep his poise but his eyes were wide in surprise. Vincent was holding onto the banister of the stairs to prevent himself from falling off.

Yuffie pointed an accusing finger at Rufus. "Cloud! You cut your hair?! And what's with the white suit?!" she exclaimed.

"What?! Cloud?" Aerith's voice echoed from the kitchen before she finally showed up beside Yuffie and she gasped in awe upon seeing who it was. "R…Rufus?!" she said.

Rufus flipped his hair. "Okay. Shall I call on my Turks now if you're going to attack me?" he asked with a mocking look.

"So you guys finally met Mister Rufus! He's my new friend!" Marlene said as she showed up. She had this happy smile on her face.

"I guess I won't call my Turks…" Rufus mumbled under his breath as he smiled slyly at Tifa.

Tifa swallowed hard, hardly believing that _the_ Rufus ShinRa is really standing there in front of her.

"Your new friend?" Aerith asked in disbelief.

"OH MY GAWD!!???" Yuffie cried out again.

Vincent looked down at Marlene with a stern look on his face, "You owe us an explanation on how you met him, Marlene," he said patiently.

Marlene blinked at all of them. "Why? You don't seem to like my new friend?" she asked.

Silence.

But the little girl was smart enough to read their eyes' expressions, but she found Tifa's to be very different. "But he's nice!" Marlene protested.

Tifa smiled gently at Marlene, "Well, I trust Marlene's judgment when it comes to people… so…" she thought silently before turning to Rufus. "What can I do for you, _Rufus_?" she asked.

Rufus was quite surprised that she really referred to him by his first name without addressing him as _President_ or _Mister_. He smiled at her. "Well, _Tifa_, if you don't mind, I would like to speak to you about business." He told her honestly.

"Business?" she asked, feeling so perplexed.

Aerith felt somewhat relieved so she just smiled at all of them. "Maybe you guys could talk about it while having lunch. Is that fine with you, President Rufus?" she asked.

He turned to her. "Sure," he replied simply.

*** 

            "OH MY GAWD!!!??? You want to buy 7th Heaven?!?!?" Yuffie cried out in awe.

"Yes, if and only if Tifa here will allow me to do so. Otherwise, I will just leave and forget that this conversation ever happened," Rufus said frankly with an arrogant tone.

"But… but… but…" Tifa stammered. She really didn't know what to say. 

Rufus turned to her. "If I buy your establishment, you will still be able to run it if you want to; like for example, I could turn you into its manager or supervisor. However, I'll be the owner already. And if it pleases you, I will make this offer more interesting: I could offer you and your friends some positions or jobs in my very own company if you want to," he said with a sly smile on his face.

Tifa turned to Vincent, then to Aerith and Yuffie, then to Marlene. She turned back to Rufus. "Your offer is…" she trailed off, trying to think of the right adjective to describe the offer. "…lovely… Rufus… but… I think I'd have to consult it with…" she stopped herself. She frowned slightly. "I won't consult with Cloud and Barret. It's my bar anyway. Besides, Rufus seems nicer… I think he isn't really that bad… and this could help me financially. Hmm… I wonder… there isn't really any crime committed by ShinRa to the people ever since Rufus came back… so I think I could put my trust on ShinRa… and on Rufus. So…" she thought silently before smiling gently at Rufus. "Could we speak privately outside?" she asked as she stood up.

Rufus blinked as he raised his eyebrows at her. He smiled as he chuckled lightly while shaking his head. He got up. "Anything you want, Tifa," he said before he followed Tifa to the front door.

The moment the two got out, Aerith began to giggle. "Heeheehee! They act like they're a couple or something! Heehee!" she said happily.

Vincent raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly at what Aerith had mentioned.

Yuffie gasped. "WHAT IF… what if it's true?! That they're already a… a couple? Behind our backs?!" she theorized.

"Oh don't be ridiculous. If Tifa had a boyfriend, she wouldn't keep it a secret from me!" Aerith said with a ridiculous look on her face.

"Gee… I wonder if Tifa will agree to sell her bar to Rufus…" Vincent said.

"Provided that he won't turn it into Honeybee Inn the Second, I think it's okay if she sells it to him!" Yuffie said.

"I don't think Rufus would follow his _old man's_ footsteps," he said with a determined look on his face.

"And he said that he could also offer us some jobs at ShinRa…" Aerith said before turning to Vincent. "Maybe you'd like to have your old Turk job back?" she suggested.

Vincent shrugged. "I'm still thinking about it…" he muttered.

"Ew! Come to think of it, I don't want to work in ShinRa!" Yuffie remarked with an annoyed look on her face.

"There's gonna be a lot of materia there for you to feast your eyes upon…" Aerith said with a singsong voice.

Silence.

"I still don't want a job there! I'm happy as I am here! Plus, if Tifa sells her 7th Heaven, I'll strangle her! Don't you know that once a person is evil, he will remain evil forever no matter how hard he tries to change?" Yuffie said.

"I don't think Rufus is that bad as we had perceived him to be in the past… we judged him wrongly; just because his father's a big fat bastard doesn't mean that he's gonna be like one. Besides, I think he despised his father." Vincent explained.

"Is Mister Rufus evil?" Marlene asked with a curious look on her face.

"Yes, he is," Yuffie replied with an airy look on her face.

"No, he's not." Aerith and Vincent both defended in unison.

"Two against one. Rufus is good! Hah!" Aerith told Yuffie with a wink.

Yuffie stomped her foot. "GAWD!!! You people are crazy! I tell you, if Tifa really sells her 7th Heaven to Rufus, I'll really strangle her!" she said.

"Easier said than done…" Vincent was thinking with a serious look on his face as he began to eat again.

After ten more minutes of chatting and debating, they were interrupted when Tifa suddenly returned. She walked slowly with a blank look on her face as she entered the dining area. 

Everyone wondered why she acted that way, until they saw a rectangular sheet on her hand. 

Vincent got the sheet and read it. His eyes grew wide in awe, "It's a check worth 90,000,000 Gil!?" he said in disbelief.

"OH MY GAWD???!!!" Yuffie screamed.

"YAY!" Aerith and Marlene jumped up and down with joy.

Tifa blinked as she took a deep breath upon realizing that she was not able to breathe ever since she entered the house again. She sat down on her chair without any other word as she began to eat slowly amidst the cheering of Aerith and Marlene, the frozen look on Vincent's face, and the constant nagging of Yuffie.


	2. Two

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. -.-' Blah blah blah blah blah. You all know the rest.

Author's Note: DO NOT BADMOUTH THIS FIC; DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW BAD IT IS! You'll just be wasting your time doing so… Let's just respect each other, okay?!?!? #o#'

And sorry for the OOC… I don't know if there's any here but my alter-ego is telling me that there are a lot of those… but anyway… it's for the sake of the story.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

            "Kyah?! He paid 90 million Gil for that old shack! Can you believe that?!" Scarlet shrieked unbelievably at Reeve, Heidegger and Palmer inside the Executives' Lounge that evening.

"Gyahahahahahaha! Are you sure that the bar is the _only_ thing he _bought_? Gyahahahahahaha! If you know what I mean… gyahahahahahaha!" Heidegger laughed gaily.

Scarlet raised an eyebrow.

Reeve shook his head in disbelief upon hearing Palmer join Heidegger's laughter. "Did he offer her that price or she asked for it?" he asked, wanting to sound reasonable.

"I wished she asked for it; but no! He was the one who offered… more like _forced_ her to take the 90 million Gil check! I saw it with my own two eyes!" Scarlet said.

"I thought the Turks were the only ones following and they left you to guard the limo?" Reeve asked.

"I followed after them, you Urban Development Dork!" she snapped impatiently.

He nodded. "I see. And what's with the air of jealousy around you, Scarlet?" he asked probingly.

Everyone fell silent.

Heidegger snickered.

"Hey, Scarlet, if you're thinking that President Rufus will go for a woman like you, then you'd better just pack your bags and head for the nursing home! Hahahahahahaha!" Palmer joked.

"I am not implying that President Rufus should like me or not. I'm just a little bothered because of that girl. You know how President Rufus could sometimes make snap judgments and I don't want him to go wrong by choosing the girl to be his…his property whatsoever… kyah…" she explained glumly, trying to stop herself from punching Palmer.

"President Rufus always makes snap judgments and he never failed." Reeve corrected.

"Still, nobody's perfect!" Scarlet argued.

"We have always trusted his decisions before; why don't we just trust his decision now? If he wants the bar, let him have it as long as Miss Lockheart allows it. Besides, I'm sure that Miss Lockheart is a decent girl. She's nice and sweet too." Reeve pointed out.

"Yeah, unlike Scarlet who's nasty and sour! Gyahahahahahahahahaha! Heidegger joked.

Scarlet got her shoe and threw it at Heidegger; the heel hitting his crotch. 

"GYAH!!!" he cried out in total pain and agony.

Scarlet got up from the couch and picked up her shoe again. After putting it on, she turned to Reeve. "Let's just get out of here, Reeve, and let's talk to President Rufus about his plans rather than hang-out with these sick-o's." she said before marching out of the room.

Reeve scratched his head before he stood up. "I thought she's supposed to be your sidekick?" he asked Heidegger.

"Gyah…" he muttered glumly, still crouching on the floor because of the pain.

Reeve shrugged and just walked out of the room.

*** 

            "What the @#$%^%^%$#" Barret and Cid both said in unison.

"If I were you I'd leave Tifa alone. She got the same reaction from Cloud and Red XIII and even Yuffie moments ago," Aerith whispered to the two.

Tifa just frowned but avoided their gazes as she got up from her seat and stomped her way upstairs.

"Too late," Cloud told Aerith.

She sighed heavily. "Oh well… next time, just be careful on how you guys would react… you know how sensitive she is when it comes to that topic. She still hasn't smiled ever since this afternoon." She told them.

"But why the @#$% would Tifa sell the @#$%*%$ bar to that @#$%*%$ ShinRa brat?!" Cid demanded in annoyance.

"Because she wanted to," Vincent replied with a monotone expression on his face before taking a sip of tea.

"That foo'! She's outta her mind! I don't see the @#$%*%$ point on why she'd sell 7th Heaven to that damn jackass! I mean, she's earning from it; she doesn't have to accept any 90 million Gil from that damn jackass just to live?!" Barret reasoned.

"Calm down! Maybe she's got a good reason for doing that!" Aerith tried to convinced with a weak smile.

"Well why is she not telling us?!" Barret demanded.

"Maybe because you guys are not yet calm enough to talk with." Vincent pointed out calmly.

The men stared unbelievably at him.

Vincent took a sip of tea again. "Just stating the obvious, don't hate me. I'm not taking sides. I also cannot understand why Miss Lockheart did that. But who knows? It could mean personal reasons, like maybe she made a _deal_ with President Rufus ShinRa…" he explained.

"Deal?" Cloud repeated.

"She _sold_ her body to him?! That's bullshit!" Cid snapped.

"TIFA DID WHAT?!?!?" Barret demanded, his eyes widening in horror.

"I was just citing an example… oh what the hell…" Vincent thought silently as they kept on blabbing to him. He just got up and left the dining room.

"Okay, what now?" Barret asked, turning to Cid and Cloud.

"!@#@$$%$#@@@#$#$@#@#@$#$#@!!!!!!!!! I can't believe this! Why would Tifa even @#$%^%$ sell her @#$%^%$ 7th Heaven to that @#$%^%$ ShinRa Brat?!" Cid cursed angrily as he stomped his feet, causing the whole first floor of the house to rumble.

"Calm down, Cid!" Aerith told him.

"But !@#$#@@##$%%^$%#@$%!#!" Cid reasoned.

"I don't think so…" Aerith mumbled before turning to Cloud. "Besides, it's her bar! She owns it. What do we care about it anyway?" she asked, trying to sound greedy in hopes that it could make them stop whining about Tifa selling her bar to Rufus.

"But we're her friends! She should've consulted us first!" Yuffie reasoned.

"But she's an independent girl. She can do whatever she wants." Aerith defended in behalf of Tifa.

They were interrupted when they heard Tifa's footsteps coming down the stairs. She did not even say goodbye, she just went past them, pretending not to notice that they are still in the room. She rushed outside the house and left.

"Where is she going?" Yuffie asked with a nervous look on her face.

"She's gonna run away coz you upset her!" Aerith said with a gasp.

Silence.

Aerith smiled sweetly at them. "Okay, seriously, she's going to her bar to clean it up a little before the Turks arrive for clean-up." She replied honestly.

"How come _you_ know all about Tifa's plans?" Cloud asked with a glum look on his face.

Aerith just shrugged, though deep inside of her, she was thinking, "Because she told me herself that she doesn't want you guys to interfere with her plans since you'll just dismay her…"

*** 

            "I insist that I go there myself than let the Turks do it alone. I'll assist on where to put the stuff on their proper places and how they're going to expand the place," Rufus said with a stiff tone as he smiled sarcastically at Heidegger.

"Gyah! You're not going anywhere, President Rufus! It's very dangerous there! Besides, it's already 9:00 in the evening!" Heidegger said.

"Dangerous my ass. Let me through that door," Rufus commanded, clenching his fists.

"But President Rufus…" Heidegger reasoned.

"Kyah! You gotta understand, President Rufus… Sector 7 is the place with the highest crime rate!" Scarlet said.

"That was during old man's regime. I've fixed the place; it looks like Sector 4 now. I thought you had a survey and the result showed that almost everyone in Midgar is already in favor of me as their president?" Rufus demanded.

"Uhm… excuse me… can we go now?" Elena asked with a weak smile on her face.

"C'mon, just let the President come with us to the bar. It won't be bad!" Reno tried to convince with a weak smile.

"…" Rude responded as he adjusted his shades.

Rufus smiled evilly at Heidegger. "Are you going to let me through or I'll give you another salary deduction for not following my orders?" he asked.

"General Heidegger, sir, I think you should really let President Rufus join us… because Miss Lockheart's life could be in danger if it's only us," Reno said with a tone that sounded somewhat sarcastic… like there is a hidden meaning.

Rufus turned to Reno. "Why would her life be in danger?" he asked.

Reno smiled sweetly at Rude before turning back to Rufus. "Well… Rude here has a crush on Miss Lockheart and…"

Rufus sneered uncontrollably at Rude, which made the bald guy jerk and freeze on his spot. "Salary deduction," Rufus pointed out through gritted teeth with his sarcastic smile.

"Huh? But…b…but why, sir?" Rude asked in surprise and in fear.

Rufus flipped his hair before pushing Heidegger to the side so that he could pass through the doorway. "For having a crush on Miss Lockheart," he replied stiffly before disappearing through the hallway.

"What?" Rude thought in disbelief.

"Is that even a valid reason?" Reeve asked in disbelief.

"Kyah…" Scarlet reacted.

"There's no such thing as mind over matters of the heart, Reeve," Palmer reasoned with a goofy look on his face.

"Oh and now you're being cheesy?" Scarlet snapped at him.

"Never mind. All of us should just go with President Rufus to assure his safety!" Heidegger said before marching outside.

"I'll just stay here… I don't wanna see that bitch," Scarlet said.

She froze when she saw Rufus enter the room again with a deep frown on his face. "I left my shotgun," he muttered as he headed for his office desk and got his shotgun from underneath it. As he started for the door again, he turned to Scarlet, "Oh yeah, you too. Salary deduction for calling Miss Lockheart a bitch and for slapping her face in the past," he said before he got out again.

"KYAH! What's wrong with him!!??" Scarlet screeched in confusion.

"He's in-love!" Elena swooned as she jumped up and down excitedly.

"Huh?" Palmer asked.

"In love! En amor! It's as simple as that!" Elena said happily.

Silence.

"With whom?" Scarlet asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

Elena stopped and thought for a while. "For sure he's in-love with someone who's younger and prettier than Miss Scarlet here," she said out loud.

"KYAH! Are you insulting me or…" Scarlet trailed off when she heard Heidegger's voice.

 "Where is President Rufus?" Heidegger asked as he entered again.

"He came back here to get his shotgun and got out again. Didn't you see him?" Palmer asked.

Heidegger shook his head.

"Uh-oh…" Reeve said.

"What?" Heidegger asked.

Silence.

They turned to the surveillance cameras focused on the garage where Rufus's car is located. They saw him get inside his expensive white car, started the engine and quickly pulled out of the driveway.

"Looks like President Rufus went on his own because we're still here arguing about stuff." Reeve pointed out with a weak smile on his face.

"Kyah…" Scarlet muttered.

"So, are we going after him?" Reeve asked.

"Gyah… I'm suddenly afraid of him. I think he's in one of his bad moods and needs to be left alone… besides, he can defend himself… he has his shotgun with him… and I'm sure a girl like that Miss Lockheart cannot really do any serious damages to him…" Heidegger said.

"Kyah… that's what I'm worried about…" Scarlet muttered.

"Gyah…Well… but I think that the Turks should still go there to help clean up the place… after all, that's the real plan, right?" Heidegger suggested.

"Well then, let's go," Reno told Rude and Elena.

*** 

                        Tifa looked around the bar, thinking where she should start cleaning. "I think I'll start by moving these chairs in one corner first," she muttered as she approached the chairs and carried them up on her shoulder one by one.

In the middle of her work, she was surprised to see the door open up and there was Rufus ShinRa walking in with his hands inside his trouser pockets. He was looking around the place, but he stopped his gaze on her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She blinked. "I'm fixing up the place." She said.

He shook his head as he approached her. "You don't need to do that," he said as he got the chair off her shoulder and carried it on his own, going to the corner where Tifa had started to pile up all the chairs. "We'll have my workers do the dirty job for you tomorrow," he told her as he flipped his hair.

She blinked. "We?" she asked in awe.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "We are partners in this business, remember?" he asked.

"Oh… sorry. Didn't realize…" she said softly.

He nodded. "It's okay, Tifa," he said.

Silence.

"Let's go," he said.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Let's go," he repeated with an inviting tone.

She bit her lower lip. "To where?" she asked.

"A ride downtown… the night is young; we could have dessert in a café in Sector 1. My treat," he told her.

She suddenly felt nervous. "Damn it! If I refuse his offer, he might get offended and shoot my brains out… but if I agree, it's going to be embarrassing… I mean, he looks so darn neat in those clothes of his and I look like… like… like some girl from the slums! And he's taking me to Sector 1 for dessert?!" she thought frantically as she smiled weakly at him.

"You don't like the idea?" he asked frankly.

Rufus wanted to kick himself for being too frank with her. "Man, how do you even talk to a girl anyway?! Considering the fact that I've never had a girlfriend before… maybe she can forgive me." He thought silently as he kept a straight face.

She shook her head. "No! Of course I like the idea!" she said as she got back into her senses and ran to him. She smiled at him. "I'd love to, Rufus," she said sweetly.

He just looked stiffly at her, though deep inside, he was shouting with joy. He just doesn't know how to express it well. His conscience was already beginning to nag him, "Dammit, Rufus! SMILE!" but he ignored his conscience.

"Very well, let's go," he told Tifa as he led the way.

After Tifa closed the door and locked it, Rufus posted a note on the door saying, "_For renovation."_ With that, they got into the car and rode off.


	3. Three

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. -.-' Blah blah blah blah blah. You all know the rest.

Author's Note: DO NOT BADMOUTH THIS FIC; DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW BAD IT IS! You'll just be wasting your time doing so… Let's just respect each other, okay?!?!? #o#'

Oh yeah, and I know some of them are out of character,,, but it's really for the sake of the story.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

-Three- 

            Tifa was beginning to feel so uncomfortable because of the way people were staring at her. She didn't want to be rude to Rufus by rejecting his offer, but she also couldn't let this opportunity pass… 

She suddenly found him too hard to resist.

"You know, maybe tomorrow I could pick you up from your house and then we can go to your bar to see how things are doing, and afterwards, we can tour around Sector 1's new mall and we'll go shopping together," he told her.

She really could not understand the sudden turn of events. One moment, she was in Sector 7 and then the next thing she knew, he was already orienting her with the kind of life that he has.

"Uhm… Rufus, I don't want to sound like some ungrateful person but… why would you even want me to go shopping with you?" she asked, feeling quite embarrassed.

He just stared coldly at her, though his eyes revealed something else. "I'm not shopping for myself, we're going to scout for uniforms for the bar employees." He told her.

She fell silent.

He took a sip of hot chocolate. "You game?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Huh?" she asked.

"I mean… are you willing to come with me?" he asked.

She was silent, thinking of what to say, but he could read her thoughts through the look in her eyes. "Do I sound like I am forcing you to feel obliged to come with me?" he asked directly.

She was surprised at the question but she shook her head nervously. "No… it's okay. I'll come with you if you want me to. After all, you are my boss now," she said.

He was surprised at what she said. "What?" he asked.

"Isn't this my current situation now? You are my boss," she told him.

He chuckled lightly, which really surprised not only Tifa but the other people who were in the same place. He focused his blue eyes into her crimson ones and smiled calmly. "I want us to be equal." He told her.

"Can you elaborate on that?" she asked.

Rufus leaned forward to her and spoke up with a serious tone, "I am not your boss. We're partners, remember? We work together."

She blinked. "Okay… if that's what you want…" she said nervously as she lifted her cup of tea from the table with a trembling hand. Rufus noticed this and so he spoke up with a concerned but stiff tone, "Are you okay?"

She nodded nervously. "Yeah. I'm just a little chilly," she replied weakly.

To her surprise, Rufus suddenly began to remove his outer blazer (the shorter one… coz he's wearing the longer one under it, remember? Can you picture it?????) and fixed it for a while before he got up from his seat and went over to Tifa, draping it on her back and shoulders, though he did not really say anything.

"I can't believe I'm really doing this… I feel so out of character today… and in front of all these people?!" Rufus thought silently in disbelief though he kept a straight face as he returned to his own seat.

Tifa had this confused wide-eyed look on her face as she stared unbelievably at Rufus. She somewhat felt calm… and she finally decided that she could trust and count on him… and she also accepted the fact that she adored him. She smiled rather shyly at him, "Thank you," she told him.

He just smiled slyly at her before taking another sip of hot chocolate from his mug.

There was a moment of silence between them for a few seconds until Tifa finally warmed up to him and gave off a rather sweet and adorable smile before starting to speak again, "So, what do you plan to do with the 7th Heaven?"

*** 

            "Okay so from here to there, we're going to expand it… and yeah, use the basement too. We'll put stairs instead of using this pinball machine thing to get down to the lower level, and then…" Elena began to blab while Rude started to sketch like an architect.

Reno yawned. "Make the air-conditioning unit centralized too." He suggested. "Where did President Rufus go? I thought he's supposed to be here with Tifa?" he asked as he sat down on one of the chairs.

Elena turned to him. "I don't know. Maybe they left and went someplace else," she replied with a smile on her face.

He studied her smile and it made him feel disgusted. "What's with that smile on your face?" he demanded.

"Why? What's wrong with smiling?" she asked.

"You're thinking of something else about Rufus and Tifa," he declared.

Elena raised an eyebrow at him. "So what? You're just jealous coz you're stuck here working with us while you could use some booze in your system," she snapped with a nasty look on her face before turning back to Rude. "So, are you done?" she asked.

Rude nodded before showing Elena the final drawing.

Elena studied it for a while. "President Rufus is going to give us a bonus once we get this done right away!" she said excitedly.

Reno yawned before getting his mobile phone and began to call Reeve. "Hello, Mister Reeve? Yeah, this is Reno… send in the clowns… I mean, the carpenters and the construction workers. We have to finish this place in 72 hours according to the President's orders." He said.

"Why did you call Reeve?" Elena asked after Reno hung up.

He yawned again before speaking to her, "He's in charge of Urban Development, remember? He takes care of the housing projects, infrastructures, construction of buildings… blah blah blah, you get the idea,"

Silence.

"Come to think of it… where did those two go?" Reno suddenly asked.

Elena shrugged. "President Rufus has a car with him… maybe they went for a joyride," she suggested.

"I don't think so," Reno said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Why would he even invite such a girl for a joyride?" he asked.

"I don't think Rufus is _that_ bad as other people thought he was. I think he changed ever since we found out that he's alive. It's a good thing that he is, though, coz it took him a while to recuperate from the injuries he acquired from the explosion. He's really doing better in running Midgar than his father," she said proudly.

"Yeah, yeah whatever… or maybe it's another kind of _joyride_…if you know what I mean. Heheheheheh," Reno implied with a wink and a malicious grin on his face.

"Oh, that is so disgusting!" Elena reacted with a sour look on her face.

Reno laughed out loud.

*** 

            Rufus and Tifa sneezed at the same time, surprising everyone around them. 

"Excuse me," the two muttered simultaneously.

Tifa sniffed. "Geez… somebody must be talking about me," she muttered miserably.

Rufus was quiet but he was thinking, "Maybe they're talking about us… oh well, who cares?" he leaned back with a deep frown on his face. "So, where do you want to go next?" he asked.

She was silent.

"Are you okay?" he asked stiffly.

She gathered up enough guts to tell him, "I… I don't want to sound rude and unappreciative of what you have done for me this afternoon and this evening… but… it's just that, we don't even know each other quite well and… and… and you're being too kind to me? I just think that it is… I mean, that everything is happening too fast… I mean, I just got to know you completely this afternoon and then now I'm here in Sector 1 spending leisure time with you. I… I'm just… I'm just… just…" she stammered nervously.

He kept a straight face at her.

She swallowed hard as she smiled shyly, feeling her whole face turning red. "I… I'm just…" she still stammered.

He did not let her finish; he just got up and offered his hand to her.

She placed her hand on his and he helped her up. People couldn't help but stare as they walked hand-in-hand outside, heading for Rufus's car.

"Am I intimidating you, Tifa?" he asked.

"Wh…what ever did you mean by that, Rufus?" she asked nervously.

"Oh you know… do I cause fear in you?" he asked casually.

She swallowed hard; part of her wished that he let go of her and leave her alone to ponder on her feelings for him, but the other part of her wanted him to hold her forever and never let go.

She was silent, but they were looking into each other's eyes.

He looked away, focusing his gaze on the stars above them. "Fear is power." He muttered.

She lowered her gaze to the ground. 

"But I don't want to use it when it comes to love," he wanted to say out loud, but couldn't. He still has this mentality that if he expressed a sensitive emotion, he would appear vulnerable… and vulnerability is a big no-no to him. "However… maybe next time, I can express to her…" he thought silently.

He turned back to her again with a stiff look on his face. "But this is different," he just told her.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him in awe. He smiled softly at her.

She smiled back. "You wish to tell me something?" she asked.

"Maybe tomorrow," he said before looking away.

She felt her heart sink. "Aw shucks…" she thought miserably.

"Not now…" Rufus thought silently. "Sorry, Tifa," he thought before taking a quick glance at her facial expression which revealed to him her sudden disappointment.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

To be continued… kyah…


	4. Four

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. -.-' Blah blah blah blah blah. You all know the rest.

Author's Note: DO NOT BADMOUTH THIS FIC; DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW BAD IT IS! You'll just be wasting your time doing so… Let's just respect each other, okay?!?!? #o#'

Oh yeah, and I know some of them are out of character,,, but it's really for the sake of the story.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

-Four-

            "Damn it! Why'd we have to paint this too?! I thought we'd just be designing this place and then inspecting every now and then… but why the hell do we have to help in painting the place and varnishing the wooden floor?!" Reno cried out in annoyance as he pounded on the floor.

"Looks like the smell of the varnish is really getting into his nerves," Elena thought silently as she ignored Reno and proceeded with her work, knowing that if she answers his question, he's just going to nag her and argue with her continuously all throughout the day. 

Rude did the answering for her, "Relax, Reno. After all, this could be our brownie points so that President Rufus would increase our salary and won't give us salary deductions anymore." He said.

"Man… I think the smell of the varnish also made Rude feel weird. He actually spoke…" Elena thought silently as she continued to varnish the floor.

Reno was looking at Elena. "Gee… she's pretty quiet today… must be the smell of the varnish… it can really make one dizzy…" he thought silently before turning to Rude. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that President Rufus gave you a salary deduction for having a crush on Miss Lockheart!" he said with a teasing smile on his face.

"But…but… but… I swear, I got over her already!" Rude replied nervously.

"Oh yeah, right. But I can still see it in your eyes," Reno said.

"What eyes?" Rude asked.

"I was just teasing you. Never mind. Just paint." Reno muttered miserably before turning away.

Elena sniffed. "Well, this place became bigger than expected and those construction people were really fast in extending this edifice." She said.

"But how come it's the three of us doing this nasty job?" Reno asked.

"Because they're not painters and I think Reeve wasn't able to hire painters so we're stuck doing this job," she replied simply.

Reno stopped working and stretched for a while. "This place is really beginning to make me feel uneasy. It's full of red, black and white!" he said.

Elena looked around. "Well, the floor is brown," she said.

Reno looked at the floor and where he's standing. "Nice going Elena… now I can't move out of this place until the varnish dries!"

Elena froze. She examined the floor and then smiled sheepishly. "Oh… sorry if I got you stuck to that corner, Reno," she said uneasily.

But she and Rude also got stuck in one corner each.

They were interrupted when they heard a car's engine stop. "Uh-oh…" Reno muttered, able to recognize the sound of Rufus's automobile.

Rufus stopped by the doorway, examining the inside from there and then stopped his gaze at Reno. "What are you doing there?" he asked.

"Painting the wall, sir." Reno replied easily.

Rufus then turned to Elena who was varnishing the floor. 

She smiled at him. "Good afternoon, President Rufus! Is this okay?" she asked.

"Your 72 hours are done and the paintings and the varnish isn't over yet?" Rufus asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I'm afraid so, sir…" she replied uneasily, her smile fading away.

Rude and Reno were in awe to see Tifa just standing behind Rufus and looking at them uneasily.

Rufus turned to Tifa and he smiled at her, surprising the Turks because he never really smiled that way before. "So, what do you think of the place?" he asked.

She stepped forward beside Rufus and peeked inside, her nose crinkling because of the smell of the varnish and paint. "Ugh… it's really fine. I just hope that the smell fades away before opening night," she replied before taking a few steps away from the door so that she could breathe properly.

Rufus nodded before turning back to the Turks with a deep frown on his face. Now he's scowling just like before, and it made the Turks think that maybe he's schizophrenic or something; he could easily change moods and his personality…

Or maybe he's just acting?

"Tomorrow evening is opening night, but I still don't have people to work here… so I want the three of you to help Miss Lockheart, is that understood?" Rufus asked stiffly.

"Why? What's she gonna do here?" Reno asked.

"She'll be the bartender." Rufus replied.

Silence.

Tifa was really beginning to feel uneasy. "Great. Rufus and the Turks. Rufus still makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable and then the Turks enter the scene, I get butterflies in my stomach." She thought silently. She still hasn't forgotten everything that happened in the past. "Come to think of it… almost all of my misfortunes were caused by ShinRa… that is if I keep a negative outlook in those situations like when my dad died… the Mako Reactors… our supposed execution… everything…" she thought silently before turning her gaze back to Rufus. Her eyes widened in sudden surprise upon realizing that Rufus was staring at her with a curious look on his face. "Damn! I thought he's still talking to them?" she thought silently as she cleared her throat and turned away from him. "I think I'll go home now. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, trying to forget the look on his face as she began to walk away from him.

Rufus watched silently as Tifa walked away, heading for the AVALANCHE home. He clenched his fists, suddenly regretting being who he is. "I know she hates me because of what I did in the past… and what old man did…" he thought silently. He stopped his thoughts when he realized that the Turks were looking at him strangely, knowing that he's having another inner monologue. He frowned frustratingly at them before turning away, but Reno called back his attention. "Hey, Prez!" 

Rufus stopped and turned to face them again. Reno pulled out a photograph from his blazer pocket and threw it over to Rufus. Rufus caught it with his right hand and then stared at it. It was a picture of a little girl hugging a man, whom Rufus had guessed to be the girl's father.

"I found it scattered around in one of the drawers here." Reno said.

Rufus was silent but he did not react. He just turned away and began to head for the direction of the AVALANCHE home.

"What's that, Reno?" Elena asked.

"Just a picture a little girl and her father." Reno replied simply before starting to paint again.

"Barret Wallace and Marlene?" she asked.

"Nah. Don't think so," he replied with a smug look on his face.

*** 

            "Get the door!" Barret called out from the bathroom.

Cloud and Vincent just remained seated, watching TV while listening to the knocking on the door.

"Get that door, I'm leaving now!" Barret snapped as he got out of the bathroom and headed for the back door.

Cloud turned to Vincent. "Open it," he said.

"Why?" Vincent asked.

Cloud just turned his gaze to the stairs. "Where are the girls?" he asked.

"Tifa's upstairs, Aerith is cooking, Yuffie is out there somewhere looking for materia." Vincent replied.

"TIFA! IT'S FOR YOU!!!" Cloud called out.

"What if it's not? You didn't even look?" Vincent asked.

"I just said that so that she'll get the door." Cloud said before they heard Tifa's footsteps descending the stairs.

Tifa had this tired and frustrated look on her face as she opened the door, but she gasped in surprise upon recognizing Rufus ShinRa standing in front of her. "Oh my God… Rufus?!" she said in disbelief.

Cloud and Vincent instantly got up upon hearing the name.

Rufus ignored the reaction of the two, he instantly leaned forward to Tifa, taking her hand and placing the picture on her palm. "I'm so sorry." He whispered with a low tone against her ear as he gently squeezed her hand. With that, he let go and turned away but did not look back.

Cloud approached her. "What happened?" he asked, noticing the blank stare of disbelief on her face.

Her eyes were wide as she continued to stare into empty space, but she slowly lowered her gaze to the picture on her palm. Her mouth dropped open when she recognized herself as a little girl and her deceased father. Her heart sank.

Suddenly, everything was clear to her.

_"I'm so sorry._" 

His words kept on ringing in her ears as she headed back to her room upstairs. 

Cloud went after Rufus. "Hey!" he called out.

Rufus stopped with a deep frown on his face before he faced Cloud. 

Cloud stopped before him and stared hard into his eyes. "What was that all about?" he asked.

Rufus was silent.

"Everyday, you come here to pick her up and then you take her to some place that I don't know and then you bring her back here late in the afternoon or late at night." Cloud pointed out.

"And your point is?" Rufus asked.

Cloud looked away for a while, then back at Rufus. "Let me just warn you that if something bad happens to her, I'm really going to blame everything on you." He said.

Rufus just stared down at him. "I thought Aerith is your girlfriend? Why are you still concerned about Tifa?" he asked.

"Because she is like a younger sister to me." Cloud replied with a serious look on his face.

Rufus smiled calmly at him before patting his shoulder. "You're invited tomorrow for the opening. Take Aerith with you and your other friends. I'll give you free drinks and a special treat." He said before he turned and walked away.

Cloud followed him with his gaze but he was silent. "Something in him has changed…" he thought silently as he watched Rufus approach his car.

*** 

            The day of the opening finally arrived. The whole morning, Tifa wondered how she could face Rufus despite the fact that maybe he knew that she had mistrusted him even if he was very true to her. She felt so ashamed of herself and her own actions that she wanted to hit herself. "I'm so blind…" she realized as she got down for breakfast.

Aerith, Cloud and Vincent were already there with Marlene.

"Good morning, Tifa! I passed by your 7th Heaven this morning and it really looks nice outside. I wonder how it looks like inside," Aerith said cheerfully.

Tifa smiled weakly. "The Turks were the ones who designed it." She explained as she took her seat beside Marlene.

"So, are you ready for tonight?" Vincent asked.

"I don't know… there's gonna be a lot of things to do there… I have to get there by 3 pm because Rufus wants it opened by 6. I think he invited all the important people from Sector One!" Tifa said nervously.

"You sound like Sector 7 is still a bad-looking place… take a look around you outside, the streets are all fixed and it doesn't smell bad anymore unlike before when his father ruled Midgar." Cloud convinced.

Tifa stared at the three, then turned to Marlene. The little girl smiled happily at her. Tifa raised an eyebrow, her face turning serious as she turned back to Aerith, Cloud and Vincent. "I know." she said simply. "Anyway, where are the others?" she asked.

"Still snoring upstairs." Aerith replied as she handed a toast to Tifa. Tifa eagerly accepted it with a glum look on her face and began to butter it.

"So, what's gonna happen in 7th Heaven tonight?" Aerith asked.

"There's gonna be lots of music playing tonight… and oh yeah! We need singers!" Tifa said. How could she completely forget what Rufus had talked to her about 7th Heaven? "Damn… Rufus is going to kill me!" she muttered to herself miserably.

"He won't kill you. You can sing for him," Cloud pointed out.

"But I'm the bartender for tonight and… I can't do two things at the same time!" Tifa said.

"Relax! What are we here for?" Aerith said with an assuring smile on her face.

Tifa stopped and thought for a while. "She's right… they'll be there… and the Turks will be there too… plus the executives who keep on giving me the evil eye whenever they see me in Rufus's office during the past few days…" she turned to Aerith and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Aerith. And please, could you sing too? You too, Vincent," Tifa said.

Vincent's eyes grew wide. "WHAT?" he demanded.

"I heard you singing in the bathroom and I thought that you have a good voice," Tifa said.

"Heeheehee!" Marlene giggled.

Vincent had this silly look on his face. "But it's just bathroom singing…" he thought silently.

"It's going to be fun tonight at the 7th Heaven! Let's all have fun tonight, guys, shall we?" Tifa convinced with an optimistic look in her eyes.

"Finally, she's back in her old happy self again…" Cloud thought silently with a smile on his face as he turned to Aerith with a look that seems to be telling her that. Aerith smiled at him before they turned back to Tifa. "Sure, Tifa. What ever you say. We'll always be here for you." She said simply.

"Can I be there too?" Marlene asked.

Tifa turned to her. "Of course, you're supposed to be there too! After all, you also helped me before, right? Besides, Rufus even requested that I take you along tonight," she said.

"Really?" Marlene asked excitedly.

"Yep. But you'd better behave, all right?" Tifa asked.

Marlene nodded happily. "YAY!" she cheered happily.

They were all interrupted when they heard someone knocking on the door. Cloud got up from his seat and headed for the front door. "Yeah?" he asked, but he froze upon recognizing Scarlet. "What's she doing here?" he thought silently as he stared at her with a hard look on his face.

Scarlet was carrying a big rectangular box wrapped with velvet cloth. "Kyah… President Rufus sent me here instead of the delivery boy so that this would reach Miss Lockheart ASAP. Where is she?" she demanded.

Tifa heard the "Kyah" from where she is seated in the dining area but she did not move. 

"Tifa, I think it's for you," Aerith said softly.

Tifa did not move. She suddenly lost her appetite as she got up from her seat and headed for the door where Cloud and Scarlet were.

Scarlet smiled wryly at her. "Kyah… Good morning, Miss Lockheart. Kyah…" she greeted.

"H…hello, Scarlet," Tifa greeted while trying to keep a straight face.

Cloud stepped aside so that the two could face each other.

"How are you doing today?" Scarlet greeted casually.

Tifa really felt nervous. "Why is she being nice to me all of a sudden?" she thought silently. "I think I'm fine… and you?' she asked with a weak smile on her face.

"Kyah… never been better." Scarlet said before she stepped inside the house and placed the package on the coffee table.

"What the hell did she mean by that? Is she being sarcastic?!" Tifa thought suspiciously as she placed her hands on her waist. "What is that?" she asked.

Scarlet turned to her with a rather sweet smile on her face… however, it made Cloud and Tifa get goosebumps. "Kyah… President Rufus asked me to deliver this to you. He wants you to wear this for tonight," she said simply before she started to unwrap the package and opened the box for them to see what's inside.

Scarlet pulled out a beautiful crimson-colored cocktail dress made out of silk and satin.

Tifa had to cover her own mouth to stop herself from gasping as she blushed. "Oh my…" she said breathlessly.

"Kyah… he had it custom-made. I have no idea how he was able to guess your size but just by looking at you now and then at this dress, I think this will fit you so well… so I think tonight, the Turks will not only be guarding President Rufus but also you so that maniacs would keep their hands off you." Scarlet explained with a wink before putting down the dress on the box again and then showing Tifa a shoebox with a pair of black strappy heeled sandals inside. "Your shoes. You're a size 8, right?" she asked.

Tifa nodded uneasily.

Scarlet put down the shoebox and then got a small jewel box, opened it and revealed a silver bangle bracelet with a heart charm and a silver locket inside. "Kyah. If I were you, I'd wear all of these tonight if you want to impress the President." She said before she handed Tifa the jewel box. "Kyah. I'll see you tonight, Miss Lockheart," she said simply before she headed outside of the house, not even waiting for Tifa's "Thank you,"

Tifa stared unbelievably at everything. "The hell?!?!?" she said in disbelief.

Cloud snickered as he nudged Tifa's arm. "Now you know what it's like to be a rich guy's girl," he teased before he ran off back to the kitchen, leaving a dumbfounded Tifa.

Tifa couldn't believe that he had teased her. "Man… even he had snapped!" she muttered glumly before turning back to the cocktail dress and picked it up, scanning it closely. She smiled gently and thought, "I can't wait for tonight…"


	5. Five

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. -.-' Blah blah blah blah blah. You all know the rest.

Author's Note: DO NOT BADMOUTH THIS FIC; DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW BAD IT IS! You'll just be wasting your time doing so… Let's just respect each other, okay?!?!? #o#'

Oh yeah, and I know some of them are out of character,,, but it's really for the sake of the story.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

-Five-

            "Kyah! This place is… fantastic! I can't believe it!" Scarlet said in awe as she gazed around the bar.

"It looks so… so elegant…" Reeve remarked with wide eyes as he gazed around.

Rufus kept a straight face as he sat down on one of the chairs. "We'll open at 6." He told them.

"Yes, sir…" everyone replied.

"Gyah… you Turks really did a great job designing this place!" Heidegger remarked.

"Heheh… thanks, sir." Reno said with a proud look on his face. "Er… President Rufus, maybe you could give us a raise because we really did a great job here, you know?" he asked sheepishly as he turned to Rufus who just stared at him blankly. "Yeah, whatever," Rufus replied mindlessly before turning to the door because Tifa just entered. She was still wearing her usual clothes. "He…hello, Rufus," she greeted nervously.

He smiled at her before he got up from his seat and approached her, escorting her further inside the bar. "It's still early," he told her.

"But you told me to be here at 3, right? So here I am," she said with a sweet smile on her face before she stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. "By the way, thank you for the dress, the shoes and the jewelry. They're really very nice and I love them." She said gently.

He flipped his hair. "You're always welcome. By the way, do they fit you? I just guessed your uhm… size," he said hesitantly, feeling his ears getting warmer.

Tifa noticed his ears getting red, and that's when she realized that she was already beginning to blush too. "Yeah, they're a perfect fit… thank you, Rufus." She said rather shyly.

Silence.

"Heheheheheheheh…" Reno started to snicker but Rude and Elena nudged him so that he would shut up.

"Ow!" Reno muttered in annoyance.

Tifa and Rufus were staring at him with raised eyebrows. Reno smiled sheepishly at them.

"So, what else do we need to fix up in this place, President Rufus?" Reeve asked, interrupting the awkward silence.

"Oh yeah… thanks for reminding me…" Rufus turned to Tifa. "Can you teach the Turks how to make drinks?" he asked.

Tifa blinked.

Rufus scratched his head before flipping his hair. "Eh… I've heard that you're good in mixing and making drinks." He told her.

She smiled softly. "I see. And who told you that?" she asked.

"Those two over there. They'd once been here before… as they have mentioned to me the other day," he replied, referring to Rude and Reno.

Tifa nodded as she raised an eyebrow. "I see… didn't really recognize them. Maybe they were disguised or something…" she thought silently.

Rude smiled uneasily at her, unfortunately, Rufus saw it. After Tifa had left his side, Rufus marched over to Rude and muttered, "Salary deduction,"

Rude felt his heart sinking. "Huh?" he asked. "But… but… but…" he stammered.

Rufus frowned at him.

"But Prez… I swear, I don't have a crush on her anymore!" Rude said.

Rufus just smiled sarcastically at him before pushing him to Tifa's direction. "Just go there and learn how to make drinks, Mister Rude." He said through clenched teeth.

Rufus just sat in one corner of the bar, watching quietly as Tifa began to teach the Turks how to make drinks. "Maybe tonight…" he thought silently before Reeve delivered to him his notebook computer and placed it on top of the table facing him. Rufus switched it on and began to check the expenses of the bar due to construction, remodeling and renovation, but as he did so, he kept on glancing at Tifa and he tried his best not to smile. "Damn it… concentrate on your work, Rufus…" he scolded himself silently as his frown deepened before he turned back to the monitor, placed his hands on the keyboard and began to create a new marketing plan for the bar.

Meanwhile, Elena, Reno and Rude noticed that Tifa kept on glancing over at Rufus's general direction and she smiled all the way. A slight blush seems to be also forming on her cheeks as she continued to make some drinks. "Damn, Tifa… concentrate on your work or else you might mix pineapple juice with the Bloody Mary…" she scolded herself silently.

She sighed heavily. "I actually placed a book entitled _Clueless People's Guide to Mixing Drinks_ in one of the drawers in the employee's room this noontime when I went here to inspect. You can use it." She said.

"You dropped by here during noontime?" Elena asked.

"Yeah." Tifa replied.

Silence.

"What did you do?" Elena asked, wishing to keep a conversation going with Tifa.

"I just fixed the employee's room and I checked the new kitchen. There's really a big improvement in this place. Thank you so much, Elena, Reno and Rude," Tifa said gratefully.

"Heheheh… no problem, Miss Lockheart! Don't mention it!" Reno said.

"Did anybody fix the menu yet?" Tifa asked.

"Scarlet and Heidegger are the ones in charge for the menu. They're cooking for tonight." Elena explained. Tifa was surprised. "So Rufus turned this place into a restaurant-and-bar type…" she thought silently as she turned her gaze to Rufus and smiled calmly. "I sure hope that business will progress…" she thought hopefully before she removed her gloves. "Gee, I'm having a hard time holding glasses with these." She said aloud before placing them on top of the table and proceeded in experimenting with the drinks.

"Gin and pineapple juice will taste good especially if it's cold. Try making it," she urged Elena.

"Sure." Elena said cheerfully.

"Gee… I never knew that mixing drinks could be as fun as drinking them," Reno said with a sly smile on his face.

"Now don't go drowning yourself in booze tonight, Reno," Elena warned with a stern look on her face.

Everyone continued with their work until it was already five o' clock when Rufus got up from his seat. "I'll just go back to HQ to get dressed. I'll be back here in a little while. Once customers start to come in, serve them properly." He told them with a stiff look on his face.

"Why? Who's coming over?" Tifa asked.

"Anyone can come. I've advertised this place as the best. They'll be coming here later on… especially the people from Sector 1." He replied before he headed for the door and left.

"Kyah… it's going to be a nasty full house tonight…" Scarlet muttered.

"Better prepare the stage," Reeve said.

Tifa was quiet, realizing that she's really working with the Turks and the ShinRa Executives. "I never realized that working with these people could be entertaining too…" she thought silently with a secret smile on her face before speaking up, "I've invited my friends to come over here tonight and help out." She announced.

"That's good. Kyah…" Scarlet remarked blankly.

"Thank you, Miss Lockheart. We could really use some more helping hand here," Reeve replied with a kind smile on his face.

Silence.

"Gyah… So, Miss Lockheart, how does it feel to be a part of ShinRa?" Heidegger asked all of a sudden.

All eyes turned to him.

Tifa suddenly felt nervous. "A part of ShinRa?" she asked.

"Kyah… girl, it's pretty obvious that you're already a part of us here!" Scarlet explained with a sarcastic smile on her face. Tifa took a deep breath before replying, "I think it's nice to be a part of ShinRa,"

Silence.

"How do you find President Rufus?" Elena chimed in with a curious smile on her face.

Silence.

Scarlet turned to Reeve. "He's changed a lot, don't you think so, Reeve?" she asked.

"Yes, I think so too… and I think it's good for us too. I mean, he is more of an effective leader than his father," Reeve replied.

"I agree with that too. Gyahahahahahahahahaha! Though he still has this serious side that no one can handle… Gyah…" Heidegger chimed in.

"Heheheheh… maybe because he still doesn't have a girlfriend, 'no?" Reno asked with a wink before gulping down the drink that he just made. "Wow… it actually tastes good!" he said in total amazement.

"You think he'd marry?" Elena asked.

"Hopefully. ShinRa needs a successor…" Rude said.

"…and a First Lady!" Palmer chimed in.

"And not just any kind of First Lady… she must really love the President and he must really love her! Kyahahahahahahaha!" Scarlet laughed heartily.

"What's so funny, Scarlet?" Reeve asked.

"Oh you know… like President Rufus really loves someone right now? I mean, he hasn't even had a girlfriend his entire life! Kyahahahahaha!" Scarlet said.

"Oh so you mean that he's gay or something?" Heidegger asked with a demanding tone.

"Kyah… no. I don't think he's gay." She said plainly.

"Man, he's one hell of a guy! Every girl in Sector 1 is after him! Fortunately, he doesn't like any one of those sluts!" Reno remarked.

"Is he even looking for romance? I mean, he's such a busy guy with no time for love… I think everything that he cares about is his money, his company and his own life!" Elena replied with a sad look on her face.

Silence.

"Kyahahahahahahahahaha!" Scarlet laughed out loud again.

Heidegger and the others joined in the laughter… except for Tifa.

She just lowered her gaze on the table, uneasily glancing at the clock on the wall, and then hesitating for a while before finally deciding to get her gloves and head for the door. "I'll be back here. I'll just dress up," she said with a hard tone before she got out and slammed the door.

The whole room fell silent.

"You think she suspected something?" Palmer asked.

"We sound so scripted…" Elena muttered miserably.

"I don't know… but we did the same to President Rufus this morning during the recess of the meeting, right?" Reeve asked.

"Yeah, but he walked out just like Tifa." Heidegger said.

Silence.

"Oh well…" all of them said in unison before proceeding with their work.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

To be continued…..

Kyah! ;-D


	6. Six

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. -.-' Blah blah blah blah blah. You all know the rest. _Passenger Seat_ is by Stephen Speaks. I don't own the song or the band even though I know how lovely the song is and how great the band is. HAH!

Author's Note: DO NOT BADMOUTH THIS FIC; DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW BAD IT IS! You'll just be wasting your time doing so… Let's just respect each other, okay?!?!? #o#'

Oh yeah, and I know some of them are out of character,,, but it's really for the sake of the story.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

-Six-

            Rufus wore a pair of black leather shoes, a black polo with a white blazer over it, and white pants. "The usual white attire." He thought silently with a sly smile on his face.

With that, he put on his watch as he turned away from the mirror. "It's 5:45." He thought silently. It would usually take him around 30 minutes before he could arrive at Sector 7, but he didn't care. "Better leave now so that I can pick her up. I wouldn't really let her get there by herself. She has to walk in with me. That's gonna give people the right impression." He thought with an excited look on his face, but the moment he got out of his room, his facial expression stiffened again. On his way to the parking lot, he got his mobile phone and dialed Elena's number. After a few rings, the female Turk answered it. "Yes, President Rufus, sir?" she asked with a cheerful tone.

"I want you to tell Tifa to wait for me coz I'll be the one to pick her up. She and I should enter the bar together." He commanded.

"Okay. Anything else, sir?" she asked.

"That's all. And don't wait for us. We'll be there though we'll be running late coz I'm just about to leave ShinRa to go there and pick her up." He said before he hung up as he got inside his car.

*** 

            Tifa could not understand why Rufus wanted them to enter the bar together during that evening. Due to this, she just stayed behind the house and let Barret and the others go ahead to the bar as soon as the clock struck 6. She could sense that there are already several people in the bar… mostly from the elites and the middle class… and maybe some people from the lower classes too.

She sighed heavily as she felt more nervous than ever. "I wonder how I will look like in his eyes… I mean… I think I need a shawl with this dress or something… the neckline is simply a little bit lower than I've expected it to be… or maybe my chest is simply too big… damn, this is embarrassing… but at least I'm not wearing an attire similar to Scarlet's…" she thought silently as Red XIII approached the television and switched it on before sitting on the floor beside the couch where Tifa was seated. "So, when's your date arriving?" he asked.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "What? He's definitely not my date," she replied awkwardly.

Red XIII just yawned as he switched to the news channel.

Tifa just leaned back. "He said that he's on his way here but he'll be late." She explained.

"Maybe he's getting you a gift or something," he replied.

"Why would he even get me a gift?" she asked.

"Like flowers or a corsage or chocolates or something else…because it's tradition for a guy to give his date a gift." He replied.

"Well that is tradition." She replied.

"Betcha he'll be arriving with a bunch of flowers with a little gift or something…" he said with a smile.

They were interrupted when they heard a car pass by and stop. Tifa's eyes widened as she got up frantically, straightening out her dress before she went to the door and opened it when someone started knocking. Her eyes widened further and her crimson eyes reflected too much amazement upon seeing him. He looked different. More handsome. "Maybe because he's wearing different clothes… though it's the same colors…" she thought silently.

Rufus gazed down at her, his blue eyes reflecting amusement in how she looked. "H…hi," he said softly.

She smiled sweetly. "Hello," she greeted back. She giggled happily as she spun around, showing off what she's wearing. She faced him again. "So, what do you think?" she asked.

He smiled calmly at her, "Beautiful," he said softly as he mindlessly reached out his hand to touch her cheek. She shivered when his fingertips touched her cheek.

Red XIII turned away and just focused his attention at the TV screen. "Oh mush…" he mumbled.

She blushed as she looked up at him. "Thank you, Rufus," she said.

With that, he withdrew his hand from her cheek and turned away, heading back to his car. He opened the front passenger seat and got a bouquet of red roses. Then, he turned back to her and approached her, handing her the bouquet. "For you," he said with a serious look on his face which made her feel ridiculous. She accepted the bouquet with her trembling hands. "Thank you… they're very beautiful. Maybe I could take this to the bar and put it near the cash register… or maybe I could fill the whole place with flowers too! My friend Aerith is very good with flowers, maybe she can help me decorate the place…" she said with a sweet smile on her face.

Rufus smiled at the enthusiasm that Tifa was showing to him. "That would be very nice. What are your favorite flowers anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, Rufus, I've always liked red roses… but they're very expensive so I just buy the simple flowers." She explained.

"Well then next time, I'll buy the flowers for you." He said as he flipped his hair and winked at her.

"Oh… really? Are you sure?" she asked in awe.

He chuckled lightly. "Hey, it's for the bar, right? We're partners and we should work together," he said.

Silence.

Rufus gestured to his car. "So, shall we go there now?" he asked.

Tifa thought for a while before replying, "It's just walking distance. Maybe we could just walk and enjoy the cool breeze." She suggested.

He smiled simply and nodded. "Fine with me," he replied before he took her hand and led the way. 

Surprisingly for Red XIII, Tifa wasn't the only one who waved goodbye to him, but also Rufus… and he was smiling at him.

After closing the door, the two started to walk at a slow pace going to the bar.

The evening breeze was cooler than expected and Tifa began to feel cold. She hugged herself and shivered slightly. "Heheh… oh well, December is near…" she stated flatly.

Rufus moved closer to her and placed his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm gently. His hand felt so warm. "You're okay now?" he asked.

She smiled gently at him as she mindlessly leaned her head on his shoulder.

But they stopped walking. "You know, I'm so stupid to forget to include a shawl with that dress. I'm sorry," he said stiffly.

"No, really… it's fine." She said sheepishly. 

Rufus looked down at her. "Let's take a quick tour at the mall and I'm going to buy you a shawl or a classy jacket for that," he said gently.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "But… but… NO! It's okay, really… I can manage. Besides, we're really late for the opening," she told him.

"Nah, it'll be fine. Heidegger and the others are there to take care of things." He said before turning to the opposite direction with her, dragging her along with him. "Let's go, Teef! C'mon, don't disappoint me. I don't want you getting cold and I don't want maniacs to be taking closer looks at you and start drooling." He said.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "So he knows how low the neckline is…" she thought silently with a slight frown as they headed back to his car.

*** 

            "Big crowd here tonight, huh?" Yuffie asked Elena as she sat down while waiting for Rude to give her the drink that she ordered.

"Yep… never expected it to be like this… and it's only 7:15!" Elena said in disbelief as she continued to make more drinks.

"Rufus must've really used effective marketing strategy in advertising…" Aerith whispered to Cloud.

Cloud took a sip of beer. "Yeah. He's really good in marketing… I think he's even better than his old man." He replied with a serious look on his face.

"Old man?" Yuffie asked.

"That's how he would usually refer to his father," Cloud explained.

"Oh well… I'm quite surprised at the sudden change of Rufus. I mean, he's usually nicer and more appealing than before," Aerith explained.

"And the surprisin' thing is, the people love 'im!" Barret said with a look of disbelief.

"Well I'm @#$%^%$ sure that he must've bumped his @#$%^%$ head when ShinRa exploded before! He's @#$%^%$ nuts right now and even hittin' on our very own Teef!" Cid said airily.

"Oh right. That's one surprising thing that I've noticed… that foo' bettah not play wit Teef, ya know? Or else that foo's gonna get some whoopin' in the ass! Feh…" Barret warned.

The Turks just looked at one another upon hearing that; however, Elena made a remark. "Well, I don't think President Rufus isn't the kind of person to just use Miss Lockheart,"

Barret, Cid and Cloud turned to her. "Right. I believe ya, sister." Barret muttered with a sarcastic tone.

"Heheheheheh… Elena, just leave them alone. They think that the Prez is a jerk, so be it! We're not in the position to prove to them that he's a changed man." Reno said with an airy tone.

"And what exactly did you mean by that?" Cloud asked with a hard tone.

Aerith nudged him. "Cloud, I don't think that this is the right time to start a fight with anybody from ShinRa…" she whispered.

"Listen to your girlfriend, Strife. Besides, we're not basically in the mood to argue with you coz I'm really busy making your drinks, 'ayt?" Reno said with a cool look on his face before handing a big mug to Barret. 

Barret stared at the mug. "What did you put in here?" he asked.

"It's beer with some added stuff that I just together," Reno replied.

"What if it tastes bad?" Barret asked with a challenging look on his face.

"Then you can say that President Rufus is a mean green machine who uses girls like Miss Lockheart. Hah!" Reno said, his face showing lots of confidence.

Rude and Elena felt somewhat nervous because of Reno's challenge. "Reno, you're really going to regret this if you lose this goddamn bet," she sneered.

"Relax. Tifa taught me how to make this drink. I'm sure this big guy's gonna love it! If he says that it's bad, then he'll also be insulting Tifa's taste." He said with a wink as they watched Barret take a few gulps of the alcoholic drink. To their surprise, he continued to gulp down the contents of the big mug until he was able to finish it. "Man, this is great stuff!" he said in disbelief.

Cid blinked in awe. "Really?" he asked.

They were interrupted when Reeve approached them. "Good evening, fellas," he greeted.

"Yeah, whatever… good evening too," Yuffie replied mindlessly.

Reeve smiled at all of them. "Just to remind you, your drinks are free here as requested by President Rufus and Miss Lockheart." He explained.

Aerith smiled. "Well, I guess we'll just have to thank them when they arrive here…" she said.

"And speaking of Rufus and Tifa, where the hell are they?" Cid demanded.

"That's what I also came here for… they were supposed to be here earlier but they're not yet here… maybe he got stuck in traffic or something." Reeve explained.

"Did they call up?" Elena asked.

"Nope. Not yet. But anyway, your friend Vincent is going to be singing on stage tonight since Miss Lockheart isn't here yet," Reeve said.

"Tifa's gonna sing?" Yuffie asked in disbelief.

"What the @#$%?!?!? Vincent's gonna @#$%^%$ sing?! HAH! This I gotta hear!" Cid said with a funny smile on his face.

*** 

            Tifa looked around the café as Rufus began to drink his cup of cappuccino. She noticed that a lot of people were really looking at them already since they were formally dressed and they were just having a cup of coffee in a coffee shop at the mall in Sector 2.

Rufus noticed her restlessness. "Are you okay, Tifa?" he asked.

She turned to him with a weak smile on his face. 

Rufus smiled at her, admiring her "improved" appearance because of the black shawl that he bought for her only minutes ago. "Anything wrong, Tifa? Don't you like that shawl?" he asked with a tone that sounded stiff but still reflected worry.

"Oh no, Rufus… I do like it… in fact, it's very lovely… but… don't you think that we should be back in 7th Heaven right now for the opening?" she suggested with a weak smile on her face.

Rufus was silent for a while. "Damn it… if we go back now, I won't be able to spend more time with you coz we'll be entertaining guests there… oh well…" he thought silently, wishing he could voice out his thoughts to her but he just shut up. "Oh well… it's rather late… we could go there now." He told her as he glanced at his watch. It read 9:30 pm.

They got up and walked hand in hand out of the coffee shop and out of the mall going to the parking lot. During the drive to Sector 7, Rufus had the CD player on and the song playing almost drove Tifa out of her own sanity because she couldn't stop herself from smiling while listening to it… and the more she couldn't stop from smiling when Rufus began to sing along with it: "Oh and I've got all that I need right here in the passenger seat. Oh and I can't keep my eyes on the road, knowing that she's inches from me…"

Tifa just looked away, turning her head to her right side so that he would not see her smiling.

Rufus just absentmindedly continued to sing along with the song, "We stopped to get something to drink; my mind clouds and I can't think. Scared to death to say I love her…"

She would just melt… but then her conscience spoke up, "He's just singing along, it doesn't mean anything."

She stiffened and frowned and decided not to think of Rufus anymore, at least during the song.

25 minutes later, they finally arrived at the 7th Heaven. Upon entering the bar, the music stopped playing; Vincent stopped singing, everyone turned to them with wide eyes.

Everyone was silent.

"What are you all looking at?" Rufus demanded with a raised eyebrow.

The music began to play again and Vincent continued to sing. Everyone looked away and proceeded with their business.

"Tifa!" Aerith rushed to Tifa as soon as Rufus went over to Scarlet, Heidegger and Reeve to check on their work.

Tifa smiled weakly at Aerith. "Hi, Aerith. How's everything?" she asked sheepishly.

Aerith simply admired the way Tifa looked. "Wow… you look really lovely! What took you guys so long?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"We just… took a ride around town… sight-seeing." Tifa replied with an uncomfortable look on her face.

Aerith took her hand and led her to the stage. "Hey, everyone! Look who's here! It's Miss Lockheart! Can we give her a round of applause?" she called out loud.

Everyone cheered for her.

"Aerith, I don't think I'm ready to sing!" Tifa said, suddenly feeling nervous.

Vincent smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. You'll feel awkward at first but as you go on, you'll get a boost of confidence." He told her as he handed her the microphone.

"What shall I sing?" she asked with a worried look on her face.

"What do you want to sing?" he asked.

"I don't know…" Tifa replied, looking at Rufus who was talking to Scarlet… no, actually, he was scolding her. 

Aerith followed Tifa's gaze and then turned to her again with a smile on her face. "Can I request a song?" she asked.

"Uhm… sure," Tifa replied uneasily as Vincent took the guitar and sat down on the stool beside Tifa. She scanned Vincent before saying, "You sure you can play that with your claw?" she asked with a curious look on her face.

"Yeah. I can manage," Vincent replied with a wink.

Tifa turned back to Aerith. "What's the song?" she asked with a sweet smile on her face.

"Can it be something jazzy?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah, as long as I know it, I'll sing it." Tifa replied.

Aerith's smile widened as she said, "The Look Of Love,"

Tifa was silent for a while before heading for the piano, but she stopped in her tracks when Cloud rushed up the stage and sat down on the piano's seat first. "You stand right there at the center and sing. I'll do the playing," he told her with a slight smile on her face.

Tifa nodded uneasily before moving ahead to the center of the stage.

All eyes were on her. She felt so nervous.

"I can do this, I can do this…" she thought silently as she scanned the room for any kind face that she could at to assure her that she's doing well while singing… and she caught Rufus's eye.

Cloud and Vincent began to play their instruments; Tifa sang.

Scarlet was relieved that Tifa started to sing already because Rufus stopped scolding her.

"She's good," Reeve remarked.

"Yeah," Rude replied.

Reno snickered. "If President Rufus heard you agree to Reeve, he'll give you a salary deduction," he teased.

Rude just ignored him.

Rufus took a seat beside Barret and Elena handed him a goblet of red wine.

Barret and the others could not help but notice that Rufus's eyes were glued on to Tifa… and her eyes kept on drifting back to Rufus every time she decides to let her gaze wander around the whole place.

But she smiled as she continued to sing, "Be mine tonight. Let this be just a start of so many nights like this. Let's take a lovers' vow and then seal it with a kiss. I can hardly wait to hold you, feel my arms around you; How long I've been waiting? Waiting just to hold you now that I have found you. Don't ever go… don't ever go… I love you so…"

---------------------------------------------------- 

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Baaaaaaaaaah….. gotta read some stuff for Public Speaking class…… I'm a Rufus ShinRa in the making and yes, in a strange way, I love to make speeches. Baaaaah… -.-' So maybe I'll just continue this some other time. In the mean time, maybe you would like to suggest something for the next few chapters??? Just don't tell me "Why don't you just stop writing coz you suck!" ….. -.-'


	7. Seven

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

Author's note: I'm soooooo sorry for the delay. I was so busily writing an original story, (check it out here in case you're interested: ) entitled "Mind Collision", that I have been having a writer's block with this… but then I know I have to write something for this because it's been long due… so here it is… another effort, this time, I bring you, the seventh chapter.

------------------------------------------------------ 

CHAPTER SEVEN

            "_My heart is drenched in wine, but you'll be on my mind forever…"_

"That's the seventh song she has sung for tonight. Isn't she tired yet?" Rufus asked mindlessly to Cloud.

"The moment you make her start singing, she will never stop… especially if she's playing the piano too." Cloud explained.

Rufus turned to him. "You seem to know a lot of things about her," he said.

"He's the best friend, mind you," Barret chimed in.

Rufus nodded, his blue eyes reflecting that he has an idea in mind. Cloud was able to interpret the look in Rufus's eyes but he just did not say anything.

"Does she like chocolates?" Rufus asked.

"Yes. And stuffed toys and music and jewelry and cars and big houses…" Cloud enumerated.

Rufus raised his eyebrows as Cloud continued to explain.

"She doesn't like cars?!" Vincent was thinking silently while listening to Cloud.

"…and she likes guys with spiky hair… better if they're bald." Cloud pointed out.

Silence.

Rufus raked his fingers through his hair with a confused look on his face. "She does?" he asked with a tone that seemed to falter.

"I knew it. He wants to find out what she likes and then he'll give those to her. Typical rich guy showering his girl with gifts and more gifts…" Cloud thought silently before smiling apologetically at Rufus. "Sorry, I was just kidding. She's not fond of those things that I mentioned." He told him while patting his back.

Rufus froze. He glared angrily at Cloud.

Cloud raised his hands at Rufus, "Hey, where's your sense of humor?" he asked with a slight smile.

"My sense of humor is within the bullets of my shotgun, mind you," Rufus said with an airy look on his face, but his tone was joking.

"_Which_ shotgun?" Cid chimed in.

Silence.

"That's disgusting!" Barret remarked with a disgusted look on his face.

Cid just laughed.

Rufus knew that Cid's statement had a double meaning—a green joke--but he just kept quiet as Cloud proceeded, "I only know the obvious stuff about her, so if you want more information, you can ask Aerith," he said, turning his head towards the direction where Aerith was: seated with Elena and applauding for Tifa.

"Why are you asking, anyway?" Cloud asked, wanting to be frank with Rufus.

Rufus just stared seriously at him, "It's none of your business. But thank you anyway," he said as he flipped his hair and headed over to the girls' table.

Elena was surprised upon seeing Rufus approaching them, "Oh, hey Prez! Enjoying the night?" she greeted rather casually.

Rufus sat down on the vacant seat beside Aerith, which is the seat reserved for Tifa. "Pretty much, Elena. Say, why don't you go to Reno over there for a moment? I'd like to have a word with Miss Gainsborough here," he told her.

Elena blinked in perplexity. "Oh… okay!" she said cheerfully before she got up and rushed over to Reno, ready to bother him and Rude and divert their attention from beer

Aerith stared unbelievably at Rufus. "Is there a problem, Rufus?" she asked curiously.

"What does Tifa like?" he asked straightly.

Aerith thought for a while on why Rufus was asking that kind of question, and slightly turned her gaze to Cloud as if asking, and Cloud just signaled for her to answer the question. She turned back to Rufus and smiled sweetly, "Tifa is a very simple girl… but I think she's very lonely. She hopes for love but…" she kept on blabbing while thinking silently, "Goodness, this sounds cheesy. I'm sorry, Rufus,"

But she couldn't believe that he was listening attentively to her, so she proceeded, "Uhm… I… she's just got this tendency not to voice out her true feelings, which makes it hard to understand her sometimes, but just prove to her that you could be trusted and she'll… she'll release herself from her locked heart." She explained with a low but serious tone, loud enough for only Rufus to hear.

Rufus frowned slightly as he blinked. "Locked heart?" he asked.

And it made sense to him.

"Tell me something, Rufus," Aerith began.

He stiffened, but he did not say anything. She smiled sweetly at him, "Are you in-love with her?"

He fell off from his seat, which made the others turn to look at them strangely.

Aerith blinked in awe. "Oh my…" she reacted as she helped him up.

His face was scarlet red in embarrassment, but he still stood up straight, well-poised and then flipped his hair with an arrogant smirk on his face, "I'm bloody fine." He announced before he sat down again. She sat down with a silly smile on her face. "Heehee! As I was saying…" she began again.

The song ended and the audience applauded.

Rufus got up and winked at Aerith, "Thanks," and then went over to Tifa.

Tifa put down the microphone and turned to Rufus, smiling happily at him, "Oh, Rufus! It's so wonderful. I've never been so happy like this before… I just love the stage and the new look and everything in this place! If it wasn't for you, my 7th Heaven would still be like a dumpsite." She said happily as they descended the stage and she led the way outside the bar.

He was not able to say anything.

She blinked and covered her mouth with a surprised look on her face, "Oh my… I'm sorry… I mean… _your_ 7th Heaven." She said apologetically as she clutched her hands together in prayer.

He stared coldly at her before flipping his hair. "What are you talking about? It's _our_ 7th Heaven. Remember?" he asked.

She stared up at him unbelievably. "I…" she began hesitantly, feeling her cheeks getting warmer. "I… yeah. Now I remember. Heheh… thanks for reminding me." She said sheepishly.

He hesitated for a moment before asking her, "Why did you take me outside here?" he asked her.

She blushed, hoping that the dimness of the streetlights could somehow hide the blush on her cheeks… but he still saw them. "Are you alright? Are you feverish?" he asked as he reached a hand to her forehead and touched it, feeling for her temperature. "You're quite warm. Are you feeling alright?" he asked with a tone that made Tifa wonder if he was really concerned about her or just pretending to be interested and concerned whether she is sick or not.

She nodded. "Y…yes, I'm alright." She said with as sweet smile on her face. She stepped back from him so that he wouldn't feel the increase in her temperature. She chuckled lightly. "I would just like to thank you for this wonderful night." She said, trying to keep her gaze focused into his eyes.

He stopped himself from smiling as he flipped his hair again. "Hmf. Don't mention it. Is that all?" he asked rather stiffly and arrogantly before turning away from her.

She puffed and then released the air from her mouth. "Damn! What's wrong with him?!" she thought miserably. But she was still smiling as she gazed at his back. She was swooning. "Damn it, Tifa…" she scolded herself silently. "So, would you like a drink? I could make you one. My specialty. I call it _Seventh Heaven." She said with a sheepish tone._

He turned around to face her. "Sure. As long as it's hard. I need it." And led the way back inside again.

She clenched her fist slightly. "What's wrong with him? Is he really _that_ insensitive?" she thought miserably as she followed far from behind him.

Rufus sat down with Cloud and Vincent while waiting for Tifa. She began to make a drink for Rufus.

"What's she making for you?" Cloud asked.

"She said it's her specialty: The Seventh Heaven." Rufus replied flatly before raking his fingers through his hair.

"Really?" Cloud asked with a look of awe on his face. Even Vincent was surprised at what Rufus had mentioned.

"You sound surprised," Rufus told the two with a perplexed look on his face.

They were interrupted when Barret approached them with a bottle of beer on his hand. "Hey, what's cookin' ya foo's?" he asked before sitting down beside Vincent.

"Tifa's making him the _Seventh Heaven." Cloud explained, pointing at Rufus._

Barret almost spit out the beer from his mouth when he heard that. "Wha… what?! The Seventh Heaven? Ya foo'! You lucky turd!" he said in disbelief, staring at Rufus in awe.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. 

"Ya foo'! She never makes that drink for people…even I  haven't tasted it before! She just made it one night and then she tasted it… like she's experimenting. I don't even know how it tastes like but she made Aerith taste it and she said it was good. The boys and I would like to taste it but she wouldn't let us. We asked the rest of her customers if they've tasted _Seventh Heaven_ but they said that it's not even in the list of drinks in the bar. We don't even know what she put in it, but it's so damn hard and good!" Barret remarked.

Rufus's eyes widened as he listened to Barret. He turned to Cloud. 

"Don't ask me. I haven't tasted it either." Cloud replied before taking a sip of beer from his mug.

"You sure it's not poison?" Rufus asked with a humorless tone.

They were not able to reply to him because Tifa was already approaching with a glass goblet in her right hand. The drink's color was almost similar to blood, but not as thick as that. There was even a strawberry perched on one side of the rim of the goblet. She sat down beside Rufus and handed him the drink. "In the house." She said with a sweet smile on her face.

Rufus got the goblet and sniffed the drink. It smelled good… like mild fruit… and when he began to drink it, everyone at their table was also looking at him, watching him.

"Don't let the scent fool you, Rufus. That's one of the hardest drinks I could make." She said with a warning look on her face. Rufus stopped drinking and placed the goblet on the table. He was breathless for a moment because it was really delicious… he felt some of his blood rush into his head as he raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly at her. "Very good." He told her.

She felt so ecstatic. "Oh my God! He likes it! I can't believe it!" she thought silently as she smiled humbly at him. "Thank you. Do you like it?" she asked.

"Like it? I love it, Tifa," he responded with a wink before flipping his hair.

"Can I taste it?" Barret asked.

"No." Rufus and Tifa both replied in unison with stern tones and stern looks on their faces.

"Hmf… fine… but… how does it taste?" Barret asked Rufus.

"Hard to describe. It's beyond delicious and scrumptious combined… it's… something else…" he responded rather vaguely as he got the goblet again and took a sip before handing it to Tifa. "Care for some?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Maybe later, Rufus. So, do you want another one?" she asked.

"I… don't know. I might get drunk and I'll be driving home." Rufus told her before he gulped down the rest of the contents as if it were just water. "But what the heck." He told her with a sly smile on his face before handing her the goblet.

She smiled sweetly. "Okay!" she said before she got it and went off.

"Are you sure, Rufus?" Cloud asked.

"The Turks will be here to drive me back home just in case." Rufus told them.

But hours passed and people were starting to leave because it was already closing time. Cloud and the others also left, leaving Tifa and Rufus there.

"You're going home?" Tifa asked him.

He smiled rather groggily at her, "Huh? Home? I'm home?" he asked sluggishly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Gee… I guess you're intoxicated. Sorry." She told him.

"Nah… it's okay… *hic* Where are my Turks? They'll drive me home." He told her.

Tifa rushed back to the back room, but the Turks had left already. "Oh man… they must've thought that Rufus is going to drive home by himself…" she thought miserably before going back to Rufus. "They're… not here anymore. Besides, I think Reno got drunk too." She told him.

He stood up but he was swaying. She assisted him in walking. "Careful. Do you want me to drive you back to ShinRa?" she asked.

"You kiddin' me? And then you'll walk back home? Never mind." He told her with a slurred voice.

She frowned slightly. "I won't let you drive in that condition. Let's just go." She told him as she led the way outside. She closed the door and locked it with the key.

"What time is it?" he asked her.

"Near 2 am." She replied as she led the way back to the house. "I'll just ask Cloud or Vincent to…" she froze when she realized that the lights were already switched off as she entered with Rufus. She shut the door and tried to make her way to the stairs and ascended the steps carefully with Rufus, making sure that they would not fall. "Cloud!" she called out.

No answer.

"They all must be asleep now…" she thought silently, not wanting to wake everyone up, not even Aerith. She looked at Rufus who was already beginning to fall asleep in her arms. She bit her lower lip as she tried to stifle a smile on her face. "Well… it wouldn't hurt if I let him sleep in my room tonight…" she thought silently before she started for her room.

She opened the door and led him to the bed. She pushed him down on the bed and helped his head on the pillow. He let out a disgusting belch but she did not feel appalled. She giggled. "Gee. President Rufus ShinRa just belched. Never thought that a person like you could do such a thing. Heehee!" she said playfully as she removed his shoes and his socks.

He laughed slightly. "Heh heh. You don't know a lot of things about me, Tifa…" he said sluggishly.

"Well, you could start telling me, right?" she asked with a wink before she left the room for a while to change her clothes.

Rufus stopped acting and sat up on bed. "Man…acting like Reno is hard…" he thought miserably before raking his fingers through his hair while trying to stop himself from smiling. "At least I'm here… and I think the alcohol's really beginning to take effect in my nerves…" he thought silently. He heard some footsteps so he lied down again and closed his eyes.

Tifa entered again, this time, wearing a loose red night shirt and pink furry bedroom slippers. "You sleep here, I'll sleep downstairs, okay?" she asked.

His eyes slowly opened. "N…no, don't leave me here… I might throw up. I need assistance," he told her with a dragging tone.

"The more I should stay away…" she muttered.

"Aw, c'mon, Tifa, stay here with me," he told her as he got up and got her hand.

She turned to him, looking into his eyes. She smiled gently. "Alright. But I'll sleep on the floor." She told him before she closed the door.

"No, sleep with me," he told her as he pulled her down to the bed, making her sit down.

Tifa's eyes widened. 

"Stay here with me, Tifa." He said sleepily before closing his eyes.

She smiled at him, looking at his disheveled hair and the first three buttons of his polo unbuttoned. She helped him remove his blazer and placed it on a chair near the window. She sighed heavily before she lied down beside him. "You know, if you're not Rufus ShinRa, I could've just let you drive in this condition… but hell, no." she told him softly.

"Why?" he asked.

She did not answer. She just closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Good night; sweet dreams, President Rufus," she whispered softly.

He moved closer to her and embraced her, making her open her eyes again in surprise. "It's _Rufus_." He corrected.

She turned to look at him, but when she did so, her lips brushed against his. He opened his eyes again upon surprise, feeling her lips against his for a second.

They both stared at each other in the dimness of the room.

She smiled lovingly at him before she completely locked her lips with his, giving him a sweet but passionate kiss as she slowly embraced him.

He felt as if all his troubles had gone away… and everything felt alright… He felt her embrace him tightly and raked her fingers through his hair, feeling its softness.

She withdrew for a moment, but she was smiling at him. "So they're right. Rufus ShinRa takes care of his hair properly," she said softly.

He moved against her and kissed her again, "You're damn right." He whispered softly as his embrace tightened around her…

===================================

-to be continued….. feh… wheeee….. I'll stop here for a while. *blush*


	8. Eight

Rufus's 7th Heaven

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: You know…

Author's note: Guess what… I have to study… But still, I'm writing this. Feh. Did you know that I dreamed of this last night? Oh never mind. =_=' *runs away* 

--------------------------------------------------------------

EIGHT

            Cloud was wondering who was inside the bathroom for so long. He had been standing outside the bathroom door for more than thirty minutes already and the person inside it still hasn't come out.

Vincent joined Cloud, and then Aerith the next. There was already a line.

"Maybe Tifa's inside. You know how long her hair is and she's having a hard time shampooing it." Aerith pointed out calmly.

"It's 7 in the morning and she's shampooing her hair?" Cloud asked before banging on the door, "Tifa, please, hurry up! I gotta go and I have to take a bath too!" he called out.

No answer.

"What's going on?" Tifa asked as she opened her bedroom door and stepped out with a sleepy look on her face.

Cloud, Aerith and Vincent stared unbelievably at her. "N…nothing." Vincent replied.

Tifa stepped back inside her room and shut the door again.

The three exchanged confused glances with one another, "If she's in her room, then who's in here?" Vincent asked them.

Finally, the bathroom door opened. The person who came from inside was wearing a blue bathrobe. "Good morning, Cloud. I borrowed your bathrobe for a while. Will return it later." The person greeted.

"Good morning, Rufus," Cloud said mindlessly.

Silence.

Rufus went downstairs to check on his car.

"Was that Rufus?" Vincent asked.

Cloud's eyes widened. "What?!" he cried out in shock.

"What's he doing here?" Aerith asked.

"Ask him. I'll just go," Cloud went inside the bathroom and shut the door.

Vincent just shrugged and leaned against the wall, wondering why Aerith was giggling and just proceeded to Tifa's room, chanting Tifa's name in a singsong voice.

Aerith entered Tifa's room and saw that she was still on the bed, lying on her stomach. "Tiffy!" she greeted cheerfully.

Tifa sleepily opened her eyes and then turned to Aerith. "Oh… hey, Aerith…" she greeted groggily before she slowly sat up and yawned.

Aerith sat down on the bed. "What's your boyfriend doing here?" she asked.

Tifa froze. "What boyfriend?" she asked.

"Okay, your fiancé." Aerith corrected.

"Fiancé?!" Tifa asked in disbelief, feeling so clueless, her sleepiness fading away.

"Rufus." Aerith pointed out.

Silence.

Tifa blushed and slowly covered her face with her hands. "Oh maaaaaaan….. Aerith… where is he?" she asked before removing her hands from her face and looked at the empty space beside her where Rufus had been last night.

"Don't worry, Tifa. He just went downstairs. I think he's going to check on his car." Aerith told her reassuringly.

Tifa sighed in relief. "Oh… thank goodness… I thought he'd leave and then everything that he told me last night was a lie and…" she trailed off when she realized that she was thinking out loud and that Aerith was smiling maliciously at her and was still listening attentively.

Silence.

"Get out of my room, please," Tifa told her patiently.

"Why?" Aerith asked.

Tifa laughed sheepishly and threw a pillow at Aerith in a playful manner.

Aerith caught it and laughed happily, "Oh, Tifa! C'mon, what happened! Spill the beans!" she urged.

"No way!" Tifa said as she got out of bed and straightened her night shirt.

"So, did anything _special_ happened last night?" Aerith asked in a whispery tone.

"_Nothing_ happened, Aerith." Tifa snapped, turning red.

"Oh? Prove it to me," Aerith told her.

"I'm still wearing my clothes on." Tifa pointed out in a low and serious tone.

"Who knows, you could've put them back on _afterwards so that you wouldn't get cold! Heeheehee!" Aerith giggled maliciously._

Tifa blushed.

Aerith just smirked.

Tifa's face turned redder. "Will you stop smiling like that? You're giving me the creeps!" she protested.

Aerith laughed at her friend. "Yeah whatever. So, what would President Rufus like for breakfast?" she asked with a sweet smile on her face.

Tifa went to her dresser and brushed her long hair. "Nah. I think I'll cook his food for him." She said with a proud smile on her face.

"Oh, so that he'll know how good you are as a cook too, huh, not just a bartender?" Aerith asked, getting the point.

Tifa just winked at her before leaving the room.

            They were all looking quietly at Rufus, feeling somewhat awkward with him as a "guest" for breakfast. The meal was simple: fried bacon, a loaf of bread and ham & cheese omelet… most of the servings of the ham & cheese omelet went to Rufus because Tifa had divided it rather unequally due to excitement. Her other companions noticed her _unfairness but just decided to keep quiet about it. "Well, at least she's happy," they were thinking quietly._

They were amazed at how Rufus and Marlene were able to get along so well, and they realized that Rufus loved children. Little by little, Cloud was beginning to feel comfortable talking with Rufus because he was not too stiff and too formal anymore… though sometimes, he still slips back into his own cold self; but they can understand him now, surprisingly.

"I wonder what will happen if Tifa served him some salted fish. You think he'd eat it?" Aerith whispered to Yuffie.

Yuffie shrugged. "Well… knowing that he's got a sophisticated taste, I don't think he'd eat something like that…" she muttered.

Tifa got up and went back to the stove, "Oh, I think this is alright now," she said out loud as she put out the fire and then removed the pan from it. 

Aerith and the others were able to smell the scent of salted fish. Their eyes widened in shock. "MAN! Tifa, you aren't…" Barret began.

"What?" Tifa asked, turning to face them after transferring the fifteen pieces of salted fish on a clean plate and then served it to them, placing it in the middle of the table.

They were silent for a few seconds before Rufus reacted, "Oh my…"

"Aerith bought it yesterday." Tifa told him sweetly.

Rufus got a piece, "I missed this one! My mother used to buy these in the market whenever she'd go out alone without Old Man and we'd eat it for breakfast." He placed it on his plate and began to eat.

Cloud and the others were dumbfounded. "Oh my…" Cloud reacted too.

Tifa sighed heavily before she sat down again beside Rufus. "Do you like it, Rufus?" she asked.

"Like it? I love it," he told her with wink. 

"I thought you'd never eat anything like that but I just gave it a shot," she admitted with a low tone as she began to eat too.

"Are you kidding? I'm glad you cooked some of these. I haven't tasted this ever since my mother died," he said with a solemn look on his face.

"How come?" Aerith asked curiously as she began to eat some too.

"Old Man calls this _'Sector 7 Food'_, meaning, that it's food for poor people. But don't let that insult you, he's stupid anyway." Rufus told them with a silly look on his face... something very unusual to see in him.

"Nah, it's alright, President Rufus." Barret told him, feeling more acquainted with him.

"_Rufus_." Rufus corrected.

Tifa felt so relieved and so happy. "Finally, I think they're really getting very used to him…" she thought silently.

"So, are you planning to stay around for a bit longer or you're going back to ShinRa?" Cloud asked Rufus casually.

"I think I'd better go back there for a while. I have work to do. But it's nice being here." Rufus replied.

"Can't you stay longer and play with me, Mister Rufus?" Marlene asked with a pout on her face.

Barret gave her a warning look, but she ignored him.

Rufus thought for a while before smiling kindly at Marlene. "You can come with me if you want to." He told her.

Marlene lit up. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Oh no, Marlene, you wouldn't want to bother Rufus…" Barret warned.

"No, it's okay. She can stay in my office while I'm working. If I'm going out, I'll take her with me. I can let her play with Dark Nation or let Elena babysit her." Rufus pointed out.

Tifa was silently envying Marlene because Rufus had agreed to take her with him to ShinRa for a day of hanging-out and playing. 

"And around 3, I think I'll be done with a meeting by then, so I can take her to the toy store…" Rufus continued.

Aerith smiled at Rufus, "Elena might be having a lot of work to do in her own Turk job, so maybe Tifa can just go with Marlene to ShinRa." She suggested.

Tifa's eyes widened at Aerith's suggestion. Aerith winked at her best friend when Rufus was not looking.

Rufus smiled at Tifa, "That would be delightful… if it's alright with you," he told her.

She hesitated for a while, not knowing how to answer. Maybe Aerith read her thoughts…

"I also have a lot of things to discuss with you, Tifa. So… I hope you'd consider…" Rufus continued. "Alright. I'll go." She said finally with a calm smile on her face, but deep inside, her heart was screaming happily.

Rufus stared into her crimson eyes, seeing the happiness in them, but he did not say anything about it.

            Cloud watched quietly as Rufus's car took off before he headed back inside the house. Aerith was waiting for him in the living room, just standing there with a faint smile on her face.

"So what was that about?" Cloud asked.

She sat down. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we just let them be together?" she asked sweetly.

"Well… Rufus seems nicer now. He changed a lot… and it's really so surprising… still I doubt about the other people from ShinRa." He said before he sat down beside her. "But it doesn't mean that if Rufus is already _nice_, we'll stop worrying about Tifa… the more we should watch out." He continued before he switched on the TV.

====================================== 

To be continued….. -_- …..

A.N.: I have rehearsals for theater tomorrow… I have to wake up early… so I'll end here for now. I'm so sorry for the several delays…I'm just too busy in school. ;_;


	9. Nine

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

------------------------------------------------------ 

NINE

_A year and a half later…_

            It had already become a habit that Rufus would take Marlene and Tifa to ShinRa. Usually, he would leave the little girl with his executives or the Turks while he and Tifa would be in his office or sometimes going around town… and then going to the 7th Heaven in Sector 7 for inspection.         

"Miss Scarlet, how come you keep on saying _Kyah_?" Marlene asked innocently.

Rufus made Scarlet, Heidegger and Reeve babysit Marlene while he is inside his office with Tifa.

"Kyah… I don't!" Scarlet responded.

"Gyah! You just did!" Heidegger argued.

Marlene giggled. "You remind me of Santa Claus, Mister Heidegger, sir." She said sweetly. Heidegger blushed, taking it as a compliment. "Aww, I never knew I'm endearing to children. Gyahahahaha! Don't worry, little girl. Ol' Heidegger's giving you a present for Christmas… or maybe for your next birthday too! When's your birthday anyway?" he asked, taking a liking to the little girl.

"Come to think of it, you do look like Santa Claus. Maybe you could consider dressing up like him during our next Christmas Party, Heidegger," Reeve suggested.

"Gyah!" Heidegger snapped at him.

Marlene turned to Reeve, "You know, the first time I saw you, I thought you were Miss Scarlet's husband." She told him.

Silence.

"Okay, Marlene, let's go see the other employees' children in the daycare center for a while. Maybe you'd like to play with them," Scarlet said with a weak smile on her face before carrying the child and went to the door.

"I never knew you're kind to children, Scarlet," Reeve remarked.

"Kyah! Shut up, you stupid Urban Development dork!" she hissed.

"Yeah, Scarlet, you can start a family with Reeve _right now_." Heidegger teased before laughing in his usual gyah-ha-ha way.

Marlene giggled.

Scarlet just ignored them and rushed out of the lounge with Marlene.

Reeve's facial expression turned serious as he glared stiffly at Heidegger. "Okay, what was that all about?" he demanded with a low and serious tone.

"Aw, c'mon, you like that lady in red!" Heidegger teased as he nudged him, almost making him fall off his seat.

Reeve just moved away from him. "I wonder what President Rufus and Miss Lockheart are talking about," he said, wanting to change the subject.

"Gyah. If you're so curious, why don't we start eavesdropping right now?" Heidegger suggested with a mean smile on his face.

"Eavesdropping is bad; it's in every professional corporate worker's code of ethics." Reeve pointed out with a serious look on his face.

"Ethics my ass! I wanna know what's going on! Go and listen!" Heidegger snapped at him.

"Is that an order?" Reeve asked.

"Hell, yeah! Gyah!" he responded.

Reeve just frowned slightly, "What if I don't want to?" he asked.

"C'mon, don't you want to find out what they're talking about?" Heidegger asked.

"Well yes, but…"

"THEN GO! What if they're talking about us?" Heidegger convinced.

"If you're so interested in what they're talking about, why not eavesdrop yourself?" Reeve asked with a weak smile on his face.

"GYAH! Fine! It's your loss! I'll be hearing first-hand information." Heidegger told him before he got up and left the room.

Reeve just rolled his eyes and leaned back on the couch. "Alone at last," he said out loud with a smile of relief before he closed his eyes, wanting to sleep.

            Tifa lowered her gaze onto the table. "Wh…what?" she asked in shock.

Rufus's frown deepened as he closed the accounting journal and handed a folder to Tifa, "I don't understand it either." He told her.

"This is… unbelievable! How come… who would… Oh, I don't know!" she shook her head in confusion and then covered her face with her hands for a moment before looking at him again with a worried look on her face. She took a deep breath and spoke up with a stiff tone, "Who would even do that?" she asked.

Rufus crossed his arms, "I tried to investigate… still in the process. No results. Whoever's doing it is really good at it." He told her with a frustrated look on his face. "The bad thing is, it's not only the bar that's being affected… even the other establishments that I own and… the whole ShinRa itself." He admitted.

Tifa's mouth dropped open. "Even ShinRa?" she asked in disbelief.

He just placed his hands on his desk, avoiding the look on her face as he nodded with a miserable sigh. "I'll be shutting down some of those establishments to prevent more losses." He told her.

"Why not just sell them to the bank? You can earn something from it too," she suggested.

"I know… but it seems like the more money I earn, the more I lose too. I don't know what's causing it but…"

"Rufus," she opened the folder and showed the graphs to him, "I wasn't really good in math and reading graphs when I was in school, but I know bankruptcy when I see one. And 7th Heaven is the only one not being affected so much. Don't you think you should really inspect your employees one by one? I'm already beginning to have doubts here." She said sternly.

"Already did that. Of course no one would admit to it… unless I secretly have them followed around." He replied.

"I can ask… my… fellow… AVALANCHE members to…" she began. He smiled slightly at her, "I was just wondering if you could let your friends investigate on this. But we have to tell them about this money matter." He explained.

She nodded weakly with a slight smile on her face, "Y..yeah… and I haven't told them about this yet. As promised, it's only between the two of us." She replied weakly.

"It's alright Tifa. I just hope that this works out well or else… I'll be…" he swallowed hard and his frown deepened as he got up from his seat. "…So, shall we get to work?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. The last thing he would like to happen is to have a bad day with Tifa just because of monetary matters.

She just nodded her head quietly as she lowered her gaze to the floor and just got up quietly, following him down the stairs… but she stopped when he stopped and spoke up with a demanding voice, "What the bloody hell are you doing here, Heidegger?"

"Gyah… I… was just about to go up and ask you if… you would like to attend a… a book launching tomorrow afternoon entitled _New Marketing Ideas for Businesspeople_?" Heidegger replied rather sheepishly.

At that moment, Rufus and Tifa knew that he heard everything that they were talking about. No one was supposed to know that Rufus is beginning to get bankrupt because someone is stealing his money behind his back. Rufus almost charged at him, ready to punch the lights out of him, but Tifa grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Rufus," she said in a low tone with a warning look on her face.

Rufus calmed down a bit before he narrowed his gaze at Heidegger, "I am not interested in book launchings… and for that, you will get a salary deduction. Anyway, better hurry to the conference room for a meeting." He sneered before he got Tifa's hand and led the way out of the office.

As they walked going to the elevator, Rufus was really quiet and it somewhat scared her. She swallowed hard. "Uhm… Rufus… what's wrong if… if they find out that you're… losing money?" she asked softly.

He felt as if he had been stabbed through the heart by the question, but he tried his best to answer truthfully to her, "Maybe it's just my pride and ego as a ShinRa. I… just can't imagine…" he trailed off before turning his gaze to her and smiled sadly. "You'll understand even if I don't say it, right? I mean… you're the only one who… really… understands me…" he said rather sheepishly.

"Oh, Rufus," she stopped walking and gave him a hug which surprised him. "…I don't care if you have money or not. I'll still…" she trailed off, realizing what she had just said and done.

The two were lost for words all of a sudden.

"You'll still what?" he asked, raising his eyebrow as he looked down at her. She just giggled. "Oh you know, Rufus." She said playfully before gently flicking his nose and then moved away from him.

He blinked, somewhat stunned. "Tifa, I'm not a mind-reader." He told her.

"That's what they always say about men: they are not mind-readers. You know what I'm saying, you just don't want to think." She said with a wink before pressing the _down_ button by the elevator door.

"No, really, I don't get it." He told her rather dumbly.

She giggled. "C'mon, Rufus. Let's get going. You don't want to be late." She told him.

Confused, he just followed after her.

On their way to the conference room, a lot of matters were going around his head. "Damn… I'm so problematic…" he thought silently.

Finally, they reached the conference room and sat down on their respective seats. Scarlet, Reeve, Palmer and the Turks were already there. They started the meeting without Heidegger, and when he arrived ten minutes later, Rufus did not even care to acknowledge his presence.

During the whole meeting, Rufus discussed… money matters. Regarding ShinRa. During this, Heidegger and Palmer seemed to appear restless and uncomfortable… and Tifa noticed it easily. While Rufus was still talking, Tifa got her mobile phone and began to send an SMS to Cloud, saying, "_Need your help. Investigate on Gyahaha and Tralala's bank accounts. ShinRa's going bankrupt; they could be the cause. Please don't tell others who are non-AVALANCHE members._"

*** 

            "I don't understand why Teef suspects that those two fatsos are the ones responsible for _her_ Rufus's near-downfall." Barret said in confusion as he watched Vincent type in some codes, attempting to hack through the security of Midgar International Banking Corporation. 

"Can't blame her for being like that. She's part of ShinRa now. She's just doing her job." Vincent explained before pressing the _enter_ key.

A dialog box appeared on the monitor, saying, "_Access Granted_." He smiled, pleased that his Turk skills are still present in himself after all those years.

"Part of ShinRa?" Yuffie asked in awe.

"Ever since she sold 7th Heaven to Rufus and began working with him to keep it alive. And she's been his girlfriend ever since last year, so I think she's really close to him now." Vincent explained as he began to search for Heidegger's bank account. "What I'm doing right now is really dangerous… we could get traced for this…" he muttered miserably.

"Come on, you said you've been doing that several times before when you were still a Turk?! Don't tell me you're giving up now?" Barret asked.

"Not really… but the technology right now is different from before!" Vincent told them as the data began to load. Quietly, they began to analyze the deposits and the intervals between deposits.

Yuffie frowned, "He's depositing money everyday… this is really…"

"No doubt, it could be him." Cloud muttered.

"And I thought those people have changed. How could they do that to Rufus?" Aerith asked in disbelief.

"Maybe because he's not hard on them anymore that's why they're getting the courage to rebel against him… and steal his money…" Vincent pointed out before he went on to check out Palmer's bank account.

Same data.

Silence.

"Tell Tifa about it." Vincent told Cloud.

Cloud sighed heavily before he began to send an SMS to his friend.

*** 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

to be continued.

BAaaaaah……….. X_X'


	10. Ten

Rufus's Seventh Heaven

By: General Quistis

========================================== 

Ten

            "Are you sure about that?" Rufus asked Cloud with a low tone. They were seated in one corner of the Seventh Heaven Bar just discussing about the issues regarding ShinRa and its money.

Cloud nodded.

Vincent leaned forward and explained with a low tone, "I've done more research about it. Those two are really the ones secretly stealing your money."

Rufus was silent for a while before glancing at Tifa who was serving some drinks to some of the customers with Yuffie helping her. He waited until she smiled, even if not at him, and then turned back to Cloud and Vincent with a deep frown on his face, "Thank you for the information. I… I feel less bothered by the truth… however," he got his glass of red wine and finished the contents before speaking up again with a slight smile on his face, "I just hope that this will teach those two bastards a lesson not to mess with a ShinRa."

"What are you planning to do?" Cloud asked curiously before taking a sip of beer from his mug. "Are you sending them to prison and give them capital punishment?" Vincent asked.

Rufus shook his head. "They should be thankful that I'm not that hard on them anymore… I'll save them the humiliation… but the truth will come out eventually so I'll leave it to them to decide what will become of them." He got up and flipped his hair, "tomorrow," he told them.

Cloud and Vincent both stared at him in confusion. "What are you going to do?" the latter asked.

Rufus ignored the question and just went over to Tifa.

She turned to him while holding s bottle of tequila. "Hey, Rufus," she greeted with a sweet smile on her face.

He gently grabbed her free wrist and whispered, "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

She thought for a while, studying the look in his eyes before handing the bottle to Elena. "Take over for a while, will you?" she asked her.

Elena smiled and nodded. "Sure, Miss Lockheart," she replied before proceeding with her work.

Rufus led the way outside, not caring whether the rest of the Turks and his executives were keeping an eye on him.

Cloud frowned slightly before turning to Vincent, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Vincent just smiled calmly and nodded his head before signaling the bartender to give him another glass of mango shake.

            "Is anything bothering you, Rufus?" Tifa asked with a worried look on her face. She could not even determine herself whether he is worried or something because of his poker-faced expression. "Take off your apron and let's take a ride to Sector 1. I need some fresh air," he told her stiffly before flipping his hair and then led the way to his car.

She was stunned. "Wh…what? But… I have work to…" she trailed off when he turned to look at her again with a blank look on his face. "…do…" she said softly, finishing her sentence. She slowly removed her apron and handed it to the bouncer who was standing by the bar's door before she rushed to Rufus's car where he was waiting for her. He opened the door of the front passenger seat for her, which surprised her. She could sense that something was really wrong but she just decided to keep quiet and follow whatever he wants.

He waited until she was inside before he shut the door and proceeded to the driver's seat. He stepped inside and sat down, sighing heavily before closing the door. He fastened his seatbelt and got his key, starting the engine and then taking off, driving to the road leading to Sector 6.

He was very quiet and he had a frown on his face… it somewhat made her feel so uncomfortable, "Rufus, where are we going?" she asked with a trembling tone.

"Damn… I sent the wrong signals again… damn this face of mine…" he thought miserably to himself as he tried to ease up his facial expression. "Sector 1. I'd like us to have some dinner together." He told her with a slight smile on his face.

She blinked. "Oh…" she calmed down and smiled softly. "That reminds me, I haven't even eaten yet…" she realized.

"That's why we're having dinner together. Besides, I think you deserve a break… and I don't like the way those maniacs are staring at you," he said.

"Maniacs?" she asked in disbelief.

"There were around five suspicious-looking men seated in one corner of the bar just staring at your chest and smiling like they're ready to drool or something." He admitted.

She smiled playfully at him, "So, you're jealous?" she asked.

"No. I'm just annoyed at them. They disgust me. I despise those kind of men because they remind me of Old Man." He told her with a stiff look on his face while trying to control his emotions so that he would not blush.

She giggled. "You know, you had me worried back there…" she admitted.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well… you looked and sounded… I don't know… but you really had me worried back there when you asked me to go out and talk to you for a while. You seemed troubled," she told him.

He bit his lower lip as he turned to the road leading to Sector 5.

"So we're taking the long cut?" she asked curiously, wanting to change the subject.

He just nodded.

"Where are we eating?" she asked, then her eyes widened in shock when she realized that she was wearing her usual attire. "Oh my God… I can't go to Sector 1 looking like this!" she told him.

"What's wrong with what you look right now?" he asked.

"I'm… wearing… this…" she said quite hesitantly.

He chuckled lightly, "Heh, heh, heh. No one would care there even if you're wearing bandages because I'm with you." He told her.

"But it's inappropriate… you know how those uptown girls stare at me like they're going to murder me with their snide comments whenever they see me… and now that I'm wearing this they'll…"

"Cut it out, Tifa. You look just fine. I like…" he stiffened a bit, "…I like you that way…" he said softly.

She blinked in awe. "Wh…what?" she asked.

He stepped on the brakes upon seeing the red light and then he turned to her with a somewhat shy smile on his face, "I… _love_ you that way…" he told her.

She blushed. 

"Oh mush! That was the most disgusting thing I've ever said!" Rufus was scolding himself silently. But when he turned away from her and returned to his usual poker-faced expression as he stared at the other cars ahead of them, he thought silently again, "…but it felt so right…"  and then he stiffened and clenched his teeth. "Grrr…" he was thinking. He wanted to smack himself for having such thoughts.

Green light.

They began to move.

"We'll eat at this seafood restaurant in the mall." He told her.

She just nodded. She was so speechless and felt so light-headed she didn't really know what was going on anymore.

All throughout the ride and even when they were already eating, they were just quiet… even after the meal… then going back to the parking lot.

"Are we going back to Seventh Heaven now?" she asked softly.

"If you want to." He told her.

Silence.

They got inside the car, but he did not start the engine yet. They just stared at each other for a few moments before he spoke up, "Do you want to?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly, "No," she replied softly.

Silence.

"Well then… where do you want to go?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Anywhere as long as you're…with me…" she said softly before turning away from him.

He examined her from head to toe for a while before he started the engine and then took off, driving back to ShinRa HQ. 

After he parked the car in the basement parking lot, they proceeded to the elevator and went up to the 70th floor. "Where are we going?" she asked him.

He did not answer. She bowed down her head, feeling somewhat lonely all of a sudden.

When they arrived at the 70th floor, he led the way to the balcony. Tifa was overwhelmed when she saw the beautiful night sky. It seemed like all the stars and the moon were so close to them as they stood there together.

She gasped slightly.

"Is this your first time here?" he asked her.

She couldn't answer.

He smiled and flipped his hair against the wind. "I don't think so… this is where I first saw you…" he told her.

She turned to him. "What?" she asked.

"Remember, when I let you hear my inauguration speech when Old Man died?" he asked with a slight smile on his face, moving closer to her.

She smiled and nodded. How could she forget that moment?

She looked up at the stars again, "But there were no stars that night," she told him softly.

"I know… but there were when Diamond Weapon attacked." He told her.

She felt her heart sink upon hearing that.  That thing almost killed him… she bowed down her head, "Please don't talk about death," she told him.

He frowned slightly at her, as if asking why.

She bowed down her head, gazing at the floor while feeling the cool breeze hitting her whole body. "I've lost a lot before… a lot of dreams… my mother, my father, … my instructor… Cloud… my old home… my pride…"

"We're just the same…" he told her.

She looked up at him. He was looking at the stars, "Do you think the stars can hear us?" he asked her mindlessly with a sad smile on his face.

Her eyes widened upon hearing the question. She stared at him in awe, feeling her eyes welling with tears.  She smiled lovingly at him before she moved closer to him, embracing him tightly and leaning her head against his chest. She took a sharp but rugged breath which made him realize that she was already crying. He looked down at her with a slight frown on his face, curious on why she is crying. "Tifa," he began.

She slowly lifted her gaze at him and smiled softly, "Yes, they can hear us, Rufus… they heard me…" she told him.

He blinked. "Well… what did you tell them?" he asked as he ran his fingers through her hair.

She smiled lovingly at him. "That I wanted to be with you," she replied.

He flipped his hair and chuckled lightly, "Really now?" he asked.

She frowned slightly, "What, you don't believe me?" she asked in disbelief.

He laughed heartily and then returned her embrace… but his was rather tight. She was surprised at his sudden reaction. He eased from his laughter and rested his head against the top of her head. "Of course, Tifa… I believe you," he told her softly.

"…and I want to stay with you," he told her.

Silence.

"Stay with me?" she asked.

He let go of her and stood rather stiffly before her. He could feel his heart beating faster than usual. "Tifa," he began.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Will you… allow me to… marry… you?" he asked nervously.

Silence.

"Wh…what?" she asked in awe.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He said rather sternly… but it was unintentional. After all, he's still the same old Rufus ShinRa with the commanding attitude. She chuckled lightly. A tear fell down from her left eye as she smiled lovingly at him and jumped up at him, embracing him tightly and happily. "Yes, President Rufus. Your wish is my command," she told him with a playful tone… but she meant it really well.

He smiled victoriously as he returned her embrace, "It's _Rufus_, Miss Lockheart," he responded playfully.

"And it's _Tifa_, President Rufus," she told him with a wink before one of her hands snaked up his head and pushed it down so that she could kiss him properly because he's really way taller than her.

He smiled slyly as he allowed her to kiss him for a few moments without him responding. Then, he just lifted her slightly up from the ground and returned her kisses…

============================================== 

tbc…

GAH! *faints*


End file.
